A loner's bad day
by Pewdepew
Summary: What if the loner of loners had a very bad day, he meets a rather mischievous nurse and his club mates decided to add on to his misfortune on that same day, will he just ignore this like he usually does or will his boiling point reach its limit and he explodes at them? Read on to find out. (Warning this will mostly get OOC so if you don't like stuff like that then do not read.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Oregairu. Oregairu is a property of Watari Wataru**

The concept of lateness being evil is wrong in the first place.

The police don't mobilize until and after an accident has occurred and it's pretty standard for heroes to show up late. But would anyone condemn them for being late? Absolutely not! So, speaking paradoxically, lateness is justice.

Source: Me.

Hikigaya Hachiman.

That was what I thought while I was quickly making my way to Sobu High. But now if I give such a statement to my dear sensei, that would spell a complete disaster for me. I am currently riding on my bicycle and I am already thirty minutes late for my class. Also, I'm sweating like crazy.

Why am I late? Well first, I did not wake up from my alarm and second my dearest little sister, Komachi had to leave early because she was part of an event in her school. So, she kinda forgot about me and also didn't bother waking me up. But no worries my dear little sister! Your onii-chan understands you, he isn't mad at you at all, because even though you had to leave early, you still managed to make me a bento. So, that's a lot of Komachi points for you my dear little sister!

But now as I was nearing my school, I was gradually becoming afraid and getting a little bit nervous. I fear my life was going to end after I enter my classroom and face a very angry and very single, Hiratsuka sensei. I am going to get an earful from her, no doubt about that. I am already very late and I am contemplating on whether or not, to even show up for her class because of her very, very, scary fists of iron! Maybe I won't go today? Hmm…If I don't show up for her subject, I might get called to the teachers' lounge and suffer more than her fists. Hmm…that somehow manages to sound perverted in my rotten little brain. Nope! Nope! Nope! There will be no perverted acts. Only brutal violence! I shiver from the mere thought of it.

As I stopped by the corner and waited for the traffic light to go green, so that I can quickly go to Sobu and face my angry and violent sensei, my sensitive ears picked up the sound of sirens, which were coming from an ambulance. The other cars quickly gave it space to go through and I was left to think, whether an accident had taken place nearby? As I was looking at the ambulance, I failed to notice a motorcycle that was trailing behind it.

Everything happened so fast!

The motorcycle passed by the corner, where I was on my bicycle and as it turned it almost hit me! But luckily it didn't. It just managed to graze me and even then, I was sent tumbling over onto the side walk. Some of the passersby rushed to my spot. They helped me get off the ground and I slowly got back on my feet. After taking a few moments to calm my nerves from another near death experience, I made a small physical assessment of myself. I wasn't badly injured but I did get some scratches on both my elbows from falling down. They weren't bleeding but they were slowly starting to sting a little. After I was helped by these people, I bowed to them in gratitude, before excusing myself from their presence, as by now I was incredibly late for school.

'What a nice day you're having, Hachiman!' I mentally chided myself, 'Very nice! First you woke up late. And now you almost got yourself into another accident.'

"Could this day get any better?" I asked myself aloud.

I rode my bicycle to Sobu and after ten more minutes I finally got there. There was not a single moment to lose! I quickly parked my bicycle and rushed to my classroom. As I reluctantly opened the door and nervously entered the room, I found that everyone was looking at me. All eyes were on me! The atmosphere was very tense. Like it was a scene from a horror movie, where one of the minor characters was likely going to get himself killed by a killer for doing stuff you shouldn't be doing when you are in a situation like this. I saw a worried look on one of my classmates/club-mate Yuigahama and even the Fire Queen Miura looked at me for a second before proceeding to ignore me like I wasn't even there to begin with. Typical reaction from the Fire Queen of Sobu High, it seems. She sees me as nothing unlike the fake blonde prince.

As I was entering through the doorway, I was greeted by a very pissed off Hiratsuka sensei. She stood up and made her way to me, before asking.

"Hikigaya, why the hell are you late for my class, hmm?"

I saw her eyes and I knew she meant business. Her eyes were burning with rage and fury of a single teacher who was seriously pissed off and if there is anything I learned through my years of experience, it is one thing: Do not and I repeat do not make a single, middle-aged woman be pissed at you and never mention her age! Otherwise, it will be the very last mistake that you ever made, in your entire miserable little lives!

Knowing, if I say my usual excuse, she might give my frail and precious body her iron fists, I calmed down and answered intelligently.

"Hiratsuka sensei, I am very sorry for being late to your class. I didn't wake up on time and I will accept whatever punishment you will give me"

After saying that, I slightly bowed to her and waited for her reply. Hiratsuka sensei said nothing at first and just kept looking at me for a few more minutes. Then she noticed that my clothes were rather dirty. She came to stand before me and quickly inspected my uniform, looking at me from head to toe. Her newly found attention on me made me kinda blush but she seemed to be unaware of it at the moment, as she said:

"Hikigaya, why are your clothes like this? You look like you were almost hit by a truck. I know you were in a hurry to get here but did something happen to you on the way?"

You're almost right sensei, I thought. Last time it was a limousine, courtesy of Yukinoshita. But this time around it was a motorcycle. And if I were to go into details, then to be exact, I was almost hit but thankfully I wasn't injured much.

I raised my head and said:

"Yes sensei. As I was on my way here, I almost got into another accident again. A motorcycle almost grazed me but I just fell down on the side walk."

I waited for her to reply as I wanted to ask next, whether if I could go to my seat or not, but Hiratsuka sensei got angrier at me and said in a loud voice:

"You idiot! You were almost in an accident again. And you're late for my class too! Hikigaya, I will excuse you for today because of that. Now go to the infirmary and let them check you up"

After saying her piece, she patted my shoulder and smiled at me. I was kinda relieved. I really thought I was going to get punished but no! Sensei…She was worried about me. That was oddly… comforting to me.

But as I was going to my seat, she whispered to me:

"We are going to have a little talk later, you and I. You got that? And don't you go running off on me, you got that?! Now go put your things on your desk and got to the infirmary. Now!"

I sighed and said, "Yes, sensei"

I nodded and quickly got to my desk and dropped my stuff on it. As I was going out the back door, I saw Yuigahama glancing at me. She was looking very worried. Maybe it was natural, I thought. After all, the whole class did hear what I said, so I guess she also got worried over me. So, before I went to the infirmary, I mouthed to her, "I'm fine. It's just some scratches." And after that I closed the door and went on my way to get myself checked.

As I arrived at the infirmary, I knocked on the door before opening it and saying:

"Excuse me, is anyone here?"

As I entered the infirmary, I was met with our school nurse, a very beautiful lady, who was sitting behind her desk. But she turned around and faced me after hearing my voice. She was a tall and slim lady, with snow white hair and golden eyes. She was a little pale, but there was no denying the fact, that she was a real beauty with long slender legs.

Her name was Caren Hortensia. How do I know this? Because, it's the name on the plate that is sitting on top of her desk that I already saw, when I came inside the infirmary. She smiled at me and asked

"Yes, I'm here. Is there anything I can do to help?"

She sits down in front of her desk and pats the seat next to her. I follow her instructions, go there and sit down like her.

"My name is Hikigaya Hachiman and I came here because of some scratches and bruises."

As I say this, I roll up my long sleeves and show her my elbows. She looked and inspected my elbow and after seeing the damage she asked.

"My, my, it's so early and you're already like this. What happened to you earlier, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Hortensia-san, I nearly got into another accident earlier but I just fell off my bicycle and got a few scratches." I replied back.

"Another accident? So this isn't your first accident?" She tilted her head and asked me.

I am like that. But I never asked to be a magnet for bad things. I only wanted to have a new high school life. But no! I got hit by a car and I had to miss school for one month because of my fractured leg, I pondered in my head. Meanwhile, I nodded my head and answered her question.

"During my first year, I wanted to come to school early because I was excited for my classes and as my rotten luck would have it, I got into an accident while trying to save my club mate's dog."

She grinned at me, then chuckled a bit and said:

"Wow Hikigaya-kun! You're kinda like a magnet for those kinds of things aren't you? Maybe I should put a sign board at your back saying 'accident prone and approach at your own risk'"

What the hell? She was actually chuckling and grinning at my accident. Is she really a school nurse? I mean she just laughed at me because I was almost in an accident and she is still chuckling even now. Maybe she's just weird. However, I couldn't ponder on it anymore as I was about to answer, my back started to hurt, which made me slightly wince in discomfort. Slowly, I started rubbing my back to ease the hurt.

Hortensia-san must have noticed this because she asked me, "Does your back also hurt after you fell down? Can I take a look at it Hikigaya-kun?"

I nodded to her before taking off my shirt and then I faced the other way, while she looked and inspected my back to see the amount of damage caused due to my involvement in this latest accident.

'I hope my day doesn't get any better than this!' I thought sarcastically.

After a little while she was done examining my back. Hortensia-san got up and went to get some ointment and some bandages from the nearby cabinet. After she got everything she wanted, she sat right next to me and said:

"Hmmm…It's okay Hikigaya-kun. There are just some slight bruising, but be careful on your way to school next time, okay? And please call me Caren. When people call me Hortensia-san, it sounds like I'm very old"

I looked at her with slight confusion and said

"I don't know about that Sensei…You are the school nurse and it would sound like I'm very close to you, if I use your first name."

She looked at me with a pout and then she used her right hand to chop me on the head slightly.

"Hikigaya-kun, I won't treat you if you don't call me Caren."

I looked at her and she looked back at me too. 'What a weird nurse, we have in our school' I thought. She wants me to call her by her first name. But, I mean, we only just met, right. So, I can't do that.

After a few more minutes of not getting myself treated due to Hortensia-san not doing anything until I call her by her first name, I found myself thinking. 'Okay, just call her whatever she wants, so I can be treated already!' I want to get back to my class. Hence, I sighed and relented. "Okay, Caren-san, you win. Can you treat me now, please?"

She smiles at me and answers, "Good boy! Yours sensei likes them when they listen to me"

Wow! She is really pretty when she smiles like that. It made my heart skip a beat. Too bad she has a rather mischievous side to her. If that wasn't there, she could be the perfect girl, I thought. She applied some disinfectant to my elbows and back, before bandaging them up.

Afterwards, she stood up and her face came very close to mine. I flinched and leaned away from her. But then, as she was treating some scratches near my face, she chuckled a bit and asked

"Hikigaya-kun, are you not good with girls? Because I can see you're not very comfortable when my face came close to yours, just now." She said this with a grin while she treated my wounds.

After calming myself down, I thought she did that on purpose! Woman, don't do that. You can give me a heart attack because of things like that! However, I answered her.

"Caren-san, any boy will do what I did if a beautiful girl's face suddenly comes close to theirs."

Hearing my words, she grinned and said.

"My, my, Hikigaya-kun. Did you just say I'm beautiful? Do you perhaps like me?" While she asked me this, she put one of her fingers under my chin to make me face her. As I was about to answer, she spoke again.

"You're kinda my type, you know. Do you want me to be your girlfriend, Hikigaya-kun?"

My eyes widened when she asked me this and I could already feel my face burning up from embarrassment. But she was not done and she followed this up with:

"It's was just a joke Hikigaya-kun! You look like you're going to have a heart attack." She continued to laugh and tease me for her own satisfaction. I thought my innocent and fragile heart couldn't take any more of this from this rather mischievous school nurse. I feel like she kinda likes teasing people but she means them no harm.

I answered, "Almost Caren-san. You really got me there." I laughed awkwardly at her and in return she smiles at me while she finishes treated my injuries.

As I got my shirt back on, she went back to her desk and got me some pills. She handed a few of them to me and said.

"This is for the pain in your back. Take this three times a day for 4 days. It will help you with the pain and it will heal faster."

I take them from her and put them in my pocket, "Thank you, Caren-san"

I bowed to her in gratitude and as I was about to leave, she called out to me and said:

"Wait, Hikigaya-kun, do you like coffee?" She asked me. I nodded and she went inside and got something from the mini fridge, sitting in the corner and tossed it to me. I caught it and to my surprise, it was a heavenly creation, the beverage of the Gods! The ultimate drink of champions and it was probably better than the elixir of life itself. It was my favourite drink. It was Maxx Coffee!

I smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Caren-san. You made my day better."

She got a can for herself, opened it and drank it in one go. After finishing it, she said:

"No problem Hikigaya-kun. Comeback whenever you need some first aid, okay? Or if you want some Maxx Coffee! I always keep the nice cold ones. It's my favourite drink after all. And if you want, you can have your lunch here in the infirmary with me. It's kinda lonely to eat your lunch when you're all alone, right?"

Caren-san knows I eat alone? I wanted to know how she knew about that, so I asked her.

"How do you know about that, Caren-san?"

To answer my question, she simply pointed to a window of the infirmary which had a perfect view of my favourite spot, here in my school, where I eat in peace. So, that's how she knows that I eat alone, I thought to myself.

She asked me again with a smile which gives me a warm kinda feeling. "It kinda feels lonely in here when I eat, Hikigaya-kun. So, will you accept my request?"

I thought about Caren-san. She is rather mischievous but is not a bad person. Also, I cannot always go to my spot because sometimes it rain and sometimes people gather there, for who knows what reason.

I looked at her and reluctantly said, "I'll think about it Caren-san. I enjoy eating my food more when I'm alone, but thanks for your offer though."

Her smile lessened when I said that but I decided not to notice it. Instead, I opened the can and took a gulp of the iced cold drink. As expected, I felt like all of my worries and pains were washed away by this heavenly drink. Again, I said my thanks to Caren-san but before I could leave for my classroom, she said, "Okay. See you soon, Hikigaya-kun. I hope you come here later."

As I was going back to my classroom, I kept wondering about Caren-san. She is kinda weird because she's a nurse who has a mischievous side to her. She made me call her by her first name but it feels like she isn't all bad. She just wants some company, I suppose. And she did give me Maxx Coffee and anyone who enjoys Maxx Coffee as much as I do, is not a bad person. Source: Me.

After I returned to my classroom, I took my seat and listened to the remaining lessons. I went on autopilot mode. I just took down notes. I was prepared to answer the teachers if they ever called my name but that rarely happens, so I don't need to worry about it, that much. I didn't notice any important stuff, except that Hiratsuka sensei told me to go and talk to her after class. I nodded to her before noticing that it was already lunch time.

I got my lunch made by my little sister, Komachi. Opening it, I saw some eggrolls, meatballs and some vegetables. I smelled them and it made me very hungry. I was about to go to my usual spot, when Yuigahama called out to me and said:

"Hikki, you want to eat with me and Yukinon?"

I turned around to answer her, "No thanks, Yuigahama" As I was about to leave, Yuigahama caught one of my sleeves with her hands and held me in place, before saying, "Hikki, you always eat alone in your spot. Why not eat with us in the clubroom. And Sai-chan will be joining us too, you know?"

My angel of angels, Totsuka! I can have lunch with him!? If it wasn't for Yukinoshita, I would have been perfect. But I wanted to enjoy my lunch either alone or with just Totsuka... Sorry Totsuka; maybe some other time. Hence, I sighed and replied, "Sorry, Yuigahama. I do want to join Totsuka for lunch. But I want to eat and enjoy the bento that Komachi made me at my spot."

Yuigahama looked a little sad but she smiled nonetheless and said, "Okay, Hikki. But if you ever change your mind, just come to the clubroom."

Before I could answer her, she had already left. I looked at the clock and realized that I was already five minutes late. So, I quickly went to my special spot in the school. But when I was almost out of the building it suddenly started to rain. Talk about bad luck! First, I was almost in an accident. Again. Then, I was late, because of which, I will surely get my punishment from Hiratsuka-sensei later. And now this. I just wanted to eat my lunch alone. I started thinking about where to go and have my lunch. If I go to the club room now, it will take more time and I will be teased non-stop by Yukinoshita, that's for sure! Or I can go to Caren-san and have lunch with her.

After thinking about my two options, I decided to go to the infirmary and I quickly went there after walking slightly fast. I don't want to end lunch without eating this bento that Komachi made for me. When I entered the infirmary, I was greeted with a pouting and grumpy looking Caren-san. She looked rather cute, I am honest but I won't tell her that because then she will just tease me to no end. I went near her desk, sat in front of her and said, "Were you waiting for me Caren-san? I told you earlier, right? I like eating alone."

She just looked at me and asked, "Then why are you here Hikigaya-kun? You can go back to your classroom and eat there, right? Or if you have friends, you can eat with them, right?"

I opened my lunch and placed it on the table. Before I could start eating, I looked at her and said, "If I go back to the classroom, I won't be able to enjoy my food and it's kinda noisy there. I like to eat my lunch in a quiet place. Also I don't have friends. I just have club mates, Caren-san. She invited me earlier, but if I go to the club room, they will just tease me to no end. So, I thought, I would rather eat here."

"Well, okay then. Thank you, Hikigaya-kun. But it sounds like I'm your last option. Still, thank you for coming here and did you say, 'She asked you?'" I saw the way she was grinning at me, so I decided to answer this with a complete deadpan look on my face.

"Yes, 'she'. It was a girl that asked me to lunch. Why Caren-san, is there a problem with that?"

While grinning, she stood up and came over to my side. She bended over, so that her face and my face were at the same level and then her face came really close to mine.

"You know, I might get jealous if you go out to lunches with other girls, Hikigaya kun." As she said that, she put both her hands on my cheeks and gently started to rub them. Don't let her have her way, Hachiman! You know she just liked to tease people, I thought to myself. As she continued rubbing my cheeks, her face got even closer to mine and then she whispered, "Maybe I'll make you mind, Hikigaya kun; so, that no other girl could get you."

She closed her eyes and slowly started to close the distance between our faces. I was panicking. I couldn't move. What the hell is happening right now?! She really is going to kiss me, isn't she? Wait! My heart cannot take anymore of this! Please! As she was closing in to me, she gently said, "Close your eyes, Hikigaya-kun. Let your onee-san, take care of you." I could feel my face burning from embarrassment right now. I could just stand up and leave but for some strange reason, I couldn't. I nodded to her and closed my eyes, and then waited for her to take away my first kiss. She removed her hands from my cheeks and said:

"Okay, Hikigaya-kun. Just a little bit and you will be mine"

I waited for the moment when she will kiss me but after sometime I heard a clicking sound. As I opened my eyes, I saw Caren-san, holding her phone. She was trying her best, not to laugh. I knew she likes to tease people but what can I do if she does something like this! Stupid adolescent hormones and stupid puberty!

After she stopped laughing, I said to her, "Caren-san, please! Stop teasing me like that! My heart can't take it anymore." She was still chuckling at me and then she showed me the picture that she had just taken.

"You look really cute here Hikigaya-kun! Hahaha! I'm sorry. I just like teasing people. I'm surprised you didn't get mad at me earlier for what I did."

I breathed in and out and after I finally calmed myself down, I replied, "Well, I'm already used to being teased by my club mates, so no worries there, Caren-san and we should really start eating our lunch now because if we continue this, we might not be able to eat."

She nodded to me, at my suggestion and we started eating our lunch. While eating we occasionally talked to each other. We asked each other about our families, how our day had been but she wouldn't stop teasing me about earlier. I learned from our exchange that she lives with her mother in an apartment near Sobu High and she is an only child. So, maybe that's why she teases people. She doesn't have siblings to interact with, that must have made her lonely and starved for some kind of sibling connection. Maybe that's it.

Before lunch was over, she showed me the picture she had taken earlier and deleted it in front of me. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing such a picture was no longer present in this world, "Thanks for deleting it Caren-san. It would have been a complete disaster if my club mates saw that picture." As I said that I saw a glint of mischief in her eyes. She grinned at me and said, "You just gave me a wonderful idea. You know that wasn't the only picture I took of you earlier. You know maybe I'll just pass by that club of yours and show them."

I looked at this mischievous nurse with dread. If a photo like that is seen by my club mates, then it would most likely end up becoming a huge disaster for me! I thought for a second and came up with a simple plan. I hope it works. I put both of my hands together and started pleading to this rather devilish nurse, "Caren-san, please don't do that. I am already being teased, almost every day when I go there, so I beg you, please don't!"

She smiled at me and said, "Okay, I will delete the pictures and I will not do that anymore. But on one condition, Hikigaya-kun."

"What condition is that?" I asked her.

"That you must always come and have your lunch with me. I don't want to see you eat alone in that spot of yours. You must also tell me if somebody asks you to have lunch with them, so I know. That's all."

I thought she was going to ask me a rather crazy request but it seemed to me a rather normal request.

I looked at her and weighed all the pros and cons. If I agreed to her request then I would be able to eat my lunch in a relatively peaceful place. It's nice and cool here and I won't have to be worried about Yuigahama or Isshiki looking for me during my break. The only bad side here is Caren-san, who will just tease me occasionally. But that seems fine, I guess. Rather than working for Isshiki or having to listen to Yuigahama with all her chatter, I can enjoy my lunch here with limited ease.

"Alright Caren-san. I look forward to having lunch with you but please turn down the teasing. That's all I ask." I said to this rather mischievous nurse.

She looked at me and said, "Ehhhh…But I like teasing interesting people, Hikigaya-kun! Okay, I cannot promise not to tease you all the time but I will turn it down a bit."

I smiled at her and replied, "That's fine with me, Caren-san. I have to go now or I'll be late for my class. Later Caren-san." As I went out of the infirmary, she waved at me and smiled. I nodded slightly before I quickly left for my classroom.

The start of my day was rather bad, but I had hoped that when I would go to the club later, I could slightly let loose and relax. Somehow, I hope we won't get any requests today and as I thought of that, the day went by so fast and before I knew it, all the classes were over for today. As promised, I made my way to the teachers' lounge, because if I forgot to go there and talk to my single, middle-aged Sensei/Adviser, would probably give my poor stomach her iron fists. So, I went there and received my punishment. She advised me to be careful next time, told me to wake up early on my own and even made me do some extra homework for being late. And here I thought, I was off the hook earlier! I sighed and let my shoulder down as I went to my clubroom.

As I was going to my club, along the hallway, I saw a familiar woman. She wasn't wearing her labcoat anymore. She just wore her black fitted shirt that had some red flower design and just some blue jeans that showed off her long slender legs. As I was going to pass her by unnoticed, she quickly spotted me and said, "Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun. Are you going home?"

I turned to her and reluctantly replied, "Hello, Caren-san. No, I'm not going home yet. I'm going to my club right now."

She started walking by my side and I noticed that she is rather tall for a girl. I think maybe she is even a little taller than Hiratsuka sensei as well. She looked at me and asked again, "What club are you in, Hikigaya-kun? Considering that you are a loner, I'm surprised that you're even in a club, in the first place."

I looked ahead and answered her, "Well Caren-san, long story short, I must go to this club and help out there. If not, a certain teacher will get angry at me and I don't want that to happen."

She chuckled a bit and asked, "Is that so, Hikigaya-kun? What is your club and what are its activities?"

"It's the service club. We get requests and we think of ways on how to help the person on their problems." I told her, while we walked in the hallway.

"Is that so? It's the first time I heard of a club like this but it seems very interesting! I would like to go to your club Hikigaya-kun." She said as her eyes sparked with curiosity and a bit of mischief.

I looked at her with a shocked expression and she just looked at me while smiling innocently, like she won't do anything later. I tried to talk her out of it, "No Caren-san, you don't have to come with me to my club. You will just be bored there. We almost don't get any requests now and your mother might feel lonely if you don't go home."

She looked at me with a smile on her face and I saw that she was determined to come with me and find out herself what my club was all about, "Don't worry, Hikigaya-kun. My mother works late at night, so she is asleep right now and she will go to work later at around 10 pm."

I just gave up and sighed, "Okay, Caren-san. I'll accompany you to my club but please promise me, you won't do anything crazy while you are in there. Can you promise me that?"

Unfortunately, she grinned at me and said, "I cannot promise you that, Hikigaya-kun because it's so fun to be around you!"

As we were nearing my club, she took my right arm and locked it in between her left one. I looked at her and asked, "Caren-san, why did you take my arm and put it in between yours. We are almost there, you know?" I tried to shake her hand off multiple times but she held on to it tightly. She really liked to tease people, this little devilish nurse, I thought to myself.

She looked at me and said, "Why Hikigaya-kun, are you not a true gentleman? Do you want me to show the other the pictures I have in my phone, hmm?"

She showed me the pictured and my eyes widened at seeing them. It was me in the picture, with my eyes closed and I looked like a complete fool like that, expecting to be kissed. I panicked and said, "I thought you deleted all those pictures?!"

She stuck her tongue out and said, "Nope! Not all of them. I left just one. So, if you don't want it to be seen, then be a gentleman for me, okay?" And then she leaned on me a little more, got even closer and I started to get a little embarrassed about how close she is coming to me. Really woman, you are really confusing! I thought at one moment that we were having a nice, normal conversation and now she is showing her mischievous side again. Well, I did kinda expect this from our conversation during my lunch break.

As we approached my club room, she intertwined her fingers wit mine. This made my Hikigaya instincts shout: Danger! Danger! Danger! I looked at her and she gave me the best shit-eating grin she could produce and I saw how her eyes just showed that she was looking for trouble. As her eyes sparkled with glee, she whispered to me:

"Don't worry Hikigaya-kun. Just follow my lead and don't make your onee-san upset or you might regret it, okay?" She said playfully and then proceeded to lean her head on my shoulder.

I just laughed nervously and as we approached the door, I heard multiple voices coming from inside the room. I recognized two of the new voices. One of them was of a certain devilish onee-san and the other was of a certain sly kohai of mine.

'I hope nothing bad happens today. Please!' I thought to myself as I opened the door.

Oh Rom-com Gods, what have I ever done to you, to deserve this punishment. Please let my day end peacefully and quietly.

That's all I ever wanted.

 **Authors note**

 **This is my first story here so leave some reviews please and follow or favorite if you liked it I would appreciate it thanks!**

 **If you're wondering about Caren she isn't an OC she is another character from the fate series and she is technically a nurse in one of its universe.**

 **For those who can't understand my statement above search Caren Hortensia she is a character from the Nasuverse specifically she's in fate kaleid liner prisma illya and fate hollow ataraxia.**

 **Finally thank you to Betrayed Dreams and thatguywhowrote for beta reading this!**

 **What will happen when the girls see Hachiman with Caren all over him? If you want to know wait for the next chapter.**

 **Until next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

Caren-san and I stood in front of my clubroom.

I really wanted to run away but to my dismay I couldn't, because she had those pictures which she would definitely use against me, if I didn't carry out her wish. I sighed heavily, giving up any prospect of running away from this situation and prepared myself to face whatever might happen to me later on.

Behind that angelic smile of hers, I could see her grinning and laughing like a maniac, waiting for her victim to fall in her trap. She looked at me and said:

"Hikigaya-kun, what are you waiting for? Open the door. Let's head inside your club. I want to meet your clubmates!" She said to me gleefully.

How can she smile like that! Her smile is so cute but her intentions are far from angelic. She's going to enjoy whatever happens to me once she has spread chaos among the girls! I laughed awkwardly and asked nervously:

"Caren-san, please have mercy on me. I already accepted your request, right?"

She put her fingers on her lips and thought for a while. Then she said to me:

"Hikigaya-kun, I'll show you some mercy. I promise, I'll not let them kill you, okay?" She said while giving me a thumbs up.

Nice; I won't get killed. Yet. I hope I don't die. But I might be put through a world of pain.

I sighed and looked at this rather mischievous nurse, standing right beside me. I nodded to her but before I could open the door to the clubroom, she whispered in my ears:

"If anything bad happens, I'll take responsibility and clear it up. I'll even let you have your favorite drink every day. Just come by the infirmary to get it from me, okay Hikigaya-kun?"

I looked at her and slightly chuckled before nodding in understanding. At least she will defend me. If all hell breaks loose. And I will get my Maxx Coffee for free everyday!

I took a deep breath and took a step forward after slowly opening the door. Caren-san was leaning on my shoulder and holding onto my arm. After seeing us like this, all the talking stopped. The chattering and the noise vanished. It was so silent that you could even hear the faint sound of the wind blowing by the window. The silence was deafening and made me shiver. I walked to my seat while bringing along this new face in our club.

Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, Isshiki and Haruno, had all their eyes on me. It was like they were frozen in time. They were staring at me and Caren-san…Really guys? Is it really that hard to believe that a beautiful girl is with me?

I went and got a chair for Caren-san to sit and I placed it near my chair. But this impish nurse had other plans. I saw the glint of mischief in her eyes. I never expected what she would do. When I sat down on my chair, she simply looked at me. For a minute it looked like she was about to seat beside me, but no! She sat on my lap and put her arms around my neck!

I looked at my clubmates with fear. I could see the look of shock on their faces. If looks could kill, then the looks these four girls were giving would have surely killed anyone, in the receiving end.

Yukinoshita was glaring at me…No! She was glaring at Caren-san for some unknown reason, like she did something unforgiveable. Her glare was ice cold.

Yuigahama looked at her with lifeless eyes.

Isshiki was trembling. The mug she was holding was about to break.

And Haruno-san was emitting a dangerous aura around her.

After seeing the four of them like that, I feared what they would do to me, if this naughty nurse, sitting on my lap, did something crazy!

After a few minutes of dreadful silence, I decided to introduce the new face to our club. Meanwhile, the nurse sitting on my lap was enjoying the chaos that she spread. I slight coughed to get everyone's attention on me:

"Everyone, this is Caren-san, our school nurse. Caren-san, these are my clubmates. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama"

Caren-san smirked at them and then she did something that I never expected!

"Hello there Yukino-san and Yuigahama-san; my name is Caren Hortensia. You can call me Caren by the way. I have heard so much about this club from Hachi"

Then she turned to me and slowly licked my right cheek seductively. And she followed it up with:

"Mou Hachi, why is your cheek so dirty? I cleaned you earlier when we had lunch together, right? Here let me clean it for you again" As she licked me again, her tongue almost touched my lips! That sent my Hikigaya senses into red alert!

What she did was beyond embarrassing and I bet my face was as red as a tomato by now. My head was spinning from what she did. I was irritated from what she did. My eyebrows went up my hairline. I tried to move my face away from her.

Woman what did you do?! You just licked me and your tongue almost touched my lips! Also why did you do that in front of these girls! And when did I give you permission to call me Hachi? The hell woman! Don't give me nicknames now! You'll just cause more misunderstandings! You may get out of here alive but it's a different story for me; so, stop it already!

I looked at Caren-san but she just chuckled at me. I was going to say something to her but she just pointed at the girls and that caught my attention instead.

I looked at my stunned club mates for a second and realized that Yukinoshita was now glaring at her even more while Yuigahama was now gritting her teeth at her.

Meanwhile, I calmed myself down from what this nurse did to me earlier. I looked at her with a slight glare. I wanted to show her that I was annoyed from what she did but she only responded with her signature smirk. Her playful eyes twinkled with delight. This had to stop!

"Cut it out Caren-san! Why did you lick my cheek? There was nothing there. And before I forget there are some people who I almost forgot to mention."

I opened my hand and introduced the other two in the room.

"This is Yukinoshita Haruno. She is a sister of my club mate and also an alumni of Sobu High. Lastly, this is Isshiki. She is the student council president."

After introducing them, Caren-san got off me and introduced herself.

"Hey there Haruno-san and Isshiki-chan. Nice to meet you too"

I had thought that she was finished with spreading chaos but no! She had one last card up her sleeve. She kissed my cheek and then nibbled on my ears! This sent my danger senses into full drive! I was trembling in my seat. This nurse had made a really bold and daring move, right in front of the girls. I was again turned into a blushing mess because of what this bothersome nurse just did.

I wanted to push her back immediately after what she did. But if I do that, she would get annoyed at me and show everyone those embarrassing pictures of mine, which she still has on her phone! That would cause my reputation to surely drop to the lowest possible level! After giving into her teasing ways, O slightly pushed her away to stop her from teasing me anymore.

Get a grip on yourself, Hachiman! You have already endured her teasing earlier, so you have to make it stop right now! Or else there will be no future for you!

I took a deep, calming breath and opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was a slightly pouting nurse, sitting right beside me but then, it quickly turned into her, trying to hold her laughter. She was enjoying all the damage she had done and she was really delighted to see the girls like that for some reason.

I turned away from Caren-san and instead tried to take a look at both Isshiki and Haruno. From the look on their faces it was clear that I wasn't going to leave here alive.

Isshiki's arms were trembling as she had already broken the teacup that she was holding. Haruno was laughing menacingly while giving a death glare to Caren-san. The atmosphere in the room was very intense yet there was only one person who was chilling there, just enjoying the show, from the chaos she had created.

Caren-san looked like she was on vacation, enjoying the view and relaxing. She couldn't care less about the death glares that she was receiving right now. She had a very creepy smile on her face and she whispered to me while admiring her dirty work:

"This is so wonderful Hikigaya-kun! Jealousy, anger and the misfortune of others is so sweet!" She said while licking her lips in satisfaction.

She turned to me and her face showed the clear signs that she was in euphoria. I shivered at what I had seen. She really had turned the atmosphere inside the clubroom rather malicious. She also showed me her sadistic side too. I prayed in my mind that this situation doesn't get any worse that it already is.

Isshiki was the one to break the silence. She spoke while still trembling and stuttering. It looked like she was really angry:

"S-s-senpai, I think I need y-you to do some stuff f-for the student council."

I immediately stood up. In fact I was glad to be able to get out of this danger zone. But then Caren-san cupped my cheeks and pulled my face onto her moderately sized bust while she said:

"Hachi, don't over exert yourself. I still need you to do some work later tonight with me. By the way you won't be getting any sleep later." She winked at me before gently kissing my forehead.

I was stunned yet again by this evil nurse. I nervously asked:

"Caren-san, you'll protect me later if anything goes bad, right?"

She nodded to my plea and answered with:

"Of course Hachi! I'll protect you later. In fact, I'll give you some protection right now for you to use later, okay?" She winked at me and held out her hand. She grinned and gave me something.

I got the tiny box from her and opened it in the room. That was my biggest mistake. As I took out the contents, I finally realized what it was…it was a box of condoms.

I looked at this nurse beside me. If she wasn't a girl, I would have shouted in a really loud, angry voice by now. But I kept my cool. Seriously, this nurse had so many tricks up her sleeve. But my mood quickly changed from pissed off to scared for my life, in an instant, when I realized that that girls had already seen the item in my hand.

My heart was really pounding and it seemed the temperature inside the room had dropped by several degrees. I was sweating from the glare, these four girls were giving. I thought I was in the clear but after what this nurse just did, she had officially motivated these girls to come after my blood. The murderous aura enveloped the whole room. I quickly stood up and decided to head to the student council room. I really wanted to know what Isshiki wanted me to do.

/

After carrying loads of boxes, back and forth from the student council room to the storage room, I was beyond exhausted. My back was hurting a little bit more from all the work I had done. My temper was nearing its limit. As the day was about to end, I started recalling all the bad things that happened earlier. 'What a way to end my day!' I thought sarcastically.

After all that work, I was now on my way back to the club room. But before that I stopped by the vending machine and got my favorite drink- Maxx Coffee. Unfortunately, it was all out. I was annoyed at not getting my Maxx Coffee. But I disregarded it and decided to head back to my clubroom.

I did get to have Maxx Coffee earlier, thanks to Caren-san. So it wasn't a big deal. But as soon as I neared my clubroom, I quickly remembered the atmosphere from earlier. Was Caren-san okay in there with those vicious girls around her?

I was nervous. I didn't want to open the door to see what had happened after I had left. All I know is that there could have been a blood bath here earlier, courtesy of the new face I had just introduced to them. However, I quickly hardened my resolve and opened the door.

Upon opening the door, I was shocked to see what was in front of me. It was so weird. I stood there for half a minute before moving. Girls are really mysterious and unpredictable creatures aren't they?

I couldn't believe that the girls were interacting the way they were with Caren-san. They were laughing and chatting like normal and there was no bad vibe or murderous aura to be felt in the room. Earlier, they were ready to tear off the limbs of this naughty nurse! However, I was relieved and a little bit confused about whatever goes on inside a girl's mind.

I gave out a big sigh of relief, went to my seat and sat down. Yukinoshita poured me a cup of tea and I observed carefully whatever that was happening around here. They were talking to each other, getting to know one other and they seemed to enjoy each other's company. I looked at Caren-san, who was talking to Isshiki and Yuigahama about some health related topics, while Haruno and Yukinoshita were bantering about something.

After Caren-san finished talking to Yuigahama and Isshiki, she returned to my side of the table. She sat down and drank some of Yukinoshita's tea, after which I asked:

"Caren-san, what magic did you do? I thought when I left you here, that you would be attacked by my club mates and these two…Can you please explain to me what you did and what happened here, while I was gone?"

She looked at me and answered:

"Well, after you left me here, they still looked at me like I did something, they didn't like. So, I explained why I did those things on you. After explaining my side of the story, they all sighed in relief and then they reintroduced themselves to me. And then, before I knew it, we were all in good terms. They said, I was very welcome to come to the club again. Also, before I forget, Hikigaya-kun, you didn't tell me earlier that all the girls you knew were all so cute!"

I tilted my head and after I drank from my cup, I answered her in an annoyed tone:

"Sorry about that Caren-san but I don't think they are as cute as my little sister."

I noticed that the girls looked at me with a questioning gaze but I continued on with my explanation. I looked over to Yukinoshita and said:

"Yukino is pretty but once she opens her mouth, she can cause long term emotional and psychological trauma, simply from whatever she says."

I shifted my sight onto Isshiki and continued:

"This one is a sly, troublesome kohai who always orders me around whenever she can."

I switched to the bubbly, air head in the room:

"Yuigahama is well…Yuigahama…"

Yuigahama looked at me while pouting and said:

"Hikki, what do you mean Yuigahama is Yuigahama! You meanie!"

I ignored her and continued on with my explanation to Caren-san. Then I looked at Yukinoshita Haruno. I was about to say something about her but she kept staring at me with this creepy smile, which actually made me flinch. So, I nervously said:

"She… is… pretty…"

As I finished my ramblings, I saw Caren-san trying to hold her laughter by holding on to her stomach. She pointed at the other girls and I saw them looking at me. They were not pleased with me, with what I said. Not at all!

Yukinoshita was the first to answer:

"Hikigaya-kun, why did you call me by my first name?"

She should know, why I said that right? Doesn't she realize that her elder sister is here?

"I used your first name because of this 'Yukinoshita-san'" I called out.

As I expected, Haruno looked at me. I pointed this out to Yukino and said:

"See what happens when I use your family name when the two of you are in a room?"

After that the younger Yukinoshita said:

"Okay. Thank you for that Hikigaya-kun. I think now it's our turn to describe you as we see."

"Senpai is a creep. He looks like a creep, talks like a creep and walks like one too. When he isn't in school, he is just a couch potato. When I ask him to do my chores at the student council, he always complains."

I was slightly annoyed at what this kohai of mine just said. The hell woman! You said it yourself; they're 'your chores'! Why do I need to do those for you? My eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

Now it was Yuigahama's turn.

"Hikki is always looking my way in class. It gives me the creeps! When he isn't listening, he always falls asleep. That's why he is always yelled at by Hiratsuka-sensei. Also, he always uses hard to pronounce words when we talk." She said while pouting.

I would have liked to answer that but suddenly this nurse beside me began to chuckle and said:

"Yuigahama-san, how do you know that Hikigaya-kun is looking at you? Does that mean you are also looking at him?" She finished it off with a devilish smirk.

Yuigahama turned a bit red and stuttered while trying to explain but she failed miserably. Ultimately she looked down and became quiet.

Then it was Yukino's turn to talk. She looked at me and said:

"Hikigaya-kun is an anti-social child with a very twisted view of this world. He and I wouldn't have even met and I wish that had actually happened but unfortunately Hiratsuka-sensei made him attend this club to fix his rotten personality. After spending all this time in this club, it still didn't help him to be any less rotten. I can simply say he cannot be fixed."

I was really pissed off by now. I held my anger but my fists trembled when I asked Yukinoshita a question.

"So, Yukinoshita-san, are you saying that it would have been better if none of you here met me?"

She smirked at me and answered:

"Why yes, Hikigaya-kun. It would have been way better that way. If that would have been the case then all the bad things that happened because of you could have been avoided."

"Yes. If senpai weren't here then I would have already gotten together with Hayama-senpai and Yui-senpai wouldn't have had a fight with Yumiko-senpai."

Then Haruno finished everything off and said:

"Wow, Hikigaya-kun! Are these girls your 'Genuine-thing'?" They see you more as a bad omen then as person, if you ask me. I pity you, Hikigaya-kun. Are these the people you treasure?"

Wow blame everything on me now, is that it? So, they all remembered all the bad things that happened and they didn't even try to remember a single good deed that I had done for them?!

I was furious; I wanted to scream at them but I held it in and answered back:

"So, you just looked at me as someone who can be bossed around? Someone who is the source of all the bad things that had happened? You don't even look at me as a person! You just see me as an unfixable problem!" After saying that, I slammed my hands on the table and gave them a fierce look.

They were all speechless. I was not behaving as I usually did. I had enough of all the bad things that had happened today. Now I had to make a choice for myself:

"I quit this club. From now on, I won't talk to the four of you. I won't even bother you anymore. I had enough of this… I thought of all you people as my 'Genuine-thing'…but I was wrong. You guys were the closest to me. I thought I can call you my friends. But no! You don't even see me as a person. So, I don't want to be near you anymore. No more!"

Isshiki, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita called out to me but I ignored them. I ran out of the clubroom and even out of the school, as fast as my legs could carry me. After running for a few minutes, I finally stopped. I was very tired.

I scanned my immediate surroundings and discovered myself in a playground, a few blocks away from Sobu High. I sat down on one of the swings to stop myself from screaming, from all the emotions that I was feeling right now.

But then I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I looked for the source but I couldn't see from where I was sitting. The voice grew louder as the person looking for me came closer to my location. After a moment, I saw someone chasing after me. She was all out of breath but she still came and stood in front of me. She looked very worried and then she sat down with me on the swings.

It was Caren-san. She had chased me all the way round here. She looked very tired but I had to ask:

"Caren-san, why did you come after me? Are you just going to tease me because of what all the girls said?"

She looked at me and after getting back her breath, she answered:

"Hikigaya-kun, I'm not going to do that. I was looking for you because I was worried about you, because of all the bad things they said" She got a handkerchief from her bag and used it to clean my face.

I just looked at her. What was this sly nurse up to now? I was going to push her away but when I looked at her eyes, I saw that she was genuinely worried about me. Despite all her earlier teasing, she looked at me as a person.

She stood up and came in front of me. Then she did something which I didn't expect.

She hugged me.

It felt very warm and comforting. But my emotions were still a mess. She patted my head and said:

"It's okay Hikigaya-kun. I'm here. I won't leave you alone. I'll be your friend. Please calm down and relax. You can trust me, Hikigaya-kun."

I felt her feelings when she said those words to me. She really meant every word that she said while she gently hugged me. I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I let it all out and cried. She took care of me by gently soothing my broken self. After I had cried my heart out to her, she cupped my face and raised it to her eye level before asking:

"Are you feeling better, Hikigaya-kun?"

I nodded and said:

"I'm feeling better now. Thank you for that Caren-san. Did you really mean what you said earlier? All that stuff about being my friend?"

She sat down beside me again and looked at me while she said:

"I meant every word I said, Hikigaya-kun. You do trust me, right?"

To be honest, I wanted to tell her that I didn't trust her but after seeing her do all that stuff for me; I wanted to give her a chance. She does tease me but she looks at me as a person, as a friend and more importantly she accepts me for who I am. I took a deep breath and looked at this new found friend of mind and said:

"I trust you Caren-san. By the way, thank you for what you did just now"

It was my turn to return the trust she showed me. I hugged her gently and gave her a warm pleasant smile.

She looked at me and then turned her head away. After a moment she faced me again. Her cheeks were a shade of pink and she answered me while pouting:

"No fair Hikigaya-kun. I'm the one who is good at teasing here. Not you."

I looked at her before letting her go. Then I laughed out loud. I haven't laughed this hard in a while. It felt so good! Before I knew it, she joined me in laughing. We shared a moment of laughter in this playground.

This nurse was really good at teasing others but she didn't like getting teased herself. Who would have thought?

It's like someone bad at being bad.

After sometime we settled down. It was turning really dark and I suggested that we head home for now. I walked her to her apartment. Upon arriving there after an hour of walking from the playground, she looked at me and said:

"See you on Monday, Hikigaya-kun"

I nodded to her but before she could head inside, I answered:

"See you Caren-san. Please stop with the teasing, okay?"

I smiled at her and she answered back

"Nope. Hehehe. I like teasing you, Hikigaya-kun" She winked at me and went inside.

As expected I walked home alone.

 **AN**

 **Thank you for all the follows and favs!**

 **Sorry for not updating it sooner my net provider was having problems for 5 days and I was busy with work, ps4 and some little bit of dota2. I will be updating this every 2 or 3 weeks depending on how busy I get.**

 **By the way have any of you noticed the cover image I changed it from Haruno to Carens picture if any of you want to see her in a nurse attire then just look at the cover image.**

 **Again thank you to thatguywhowrote and Betrayed Dreams for beta reading and giving me some ideas here.**

 **I haven't yet decided on who 8mans love interest here but I am choosing between three ladies so you will know who they are soon.**

 **Before I forget I may need some beta readers 2 people to be exact, I really need some help in writing (detailing and giving ideas) so if anyone wants to help me just pm me.**

 **(The reason I need 2 other people to help me is if thatguywhowrote and Betrayed Dream are busy with their stories I will not bother them so they can focus on their own stories)**

 **And to the one who says Caren is a copy of Haruno she was shown in a game(Fate/Hollow Ataraxia)in 2005 while Haruno and Oregairu the LN was published in 2011 so she came first you got that? If you want to see her in action go search the One day! by Ronpaia/Fue or watch** **carnival phantasm** **.**

 **If you want to know how she really is read the paragraphs below its directly from the type moon wikia and it describes her personality:**

As a priestess, Caren Hortensia exhibits an outwardly accepting personality, but she is not entirely angelic. Her current position simply suits her physiological characteristics. Outside of fulfilling her job, she will readily provoke acquaintances and display outright sadism to those close to her.

It can be said that her life's purpose is to help others at any cost, and she carries that out to the point of inflicting self-harm and deferring any blame to the demonic influence driving her attackers. She will frequently apologize to God, for both her own faults and those who slight her.

Because of this twisted personality, even her two servants are wary of her, both maintaining great distance at all times even without the threat of Command Spells. For going against her would mean having their power turned against them without a second thought for their mutually assured destruction **.**

While she is described as "the mouthpiece for Kotomine's personality" due to her callous wit, she still inherits significant feminine charm from her mother, making her a largely affable person despite the wealth of acerbic remarks issuing from her lips **.**

 **Obviously in this story she is really mischievous and I will develop more of her and Hachiman when the story progresses.**

 **And to those who read the AN you are the best lol! XD**

 **See you on the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

I opened my eyes when I woke up early this Monday. I looked at the clock and saw it was 4:30am. I wanted to get back to sleep but for some reason I was wide awake. So instead, I got up, washed my face and put on my track suit and decided to go for an early morning run.

I got out of my house and proceeded to jog to the nearest park. After 10 minutes of jogging, I arrived at the park. It was kind of dark, since the sun wasn't up yet.

I breathed in and out to catch my breath and after a few minutes of warming up, I ran on the oval path around the park. I ran around it six to ten times, without any rest and after that my legs got tired. I was sweaty. So, I found a bench to rest. I rested there for a while, but then I saw what time it was: Ten minutes past five.

I got up and jogged home. 'Nice start to the day Hachiman. 10 laps around the park.' I thought. I laughed at myself for achieving such a feat. I am a loner. But my physical parameters are not that low. As I got back to my house, I found that my dear sister, Komachi was still sleeping. I got out of my clothes and went into the bathroom to enjoy a nice warm shower.

While in the shower, I thought of the things that happened to me last week: My bad day, me quitting the club and meeting that mischievous friend of mine.

I thought for a while, then I said to myself: "I have to move on and start something new in my life."

I got a towel, dried myself up and got into my uniform. After getting dressed, I saw that Komachi was still asleep. So, I went into the kitchen and began preparations for breakfast.

I opened the fridge and saw some eggs and some leftover sushi from dinner. I put those in the microwave, to heat them up and also made some scrambled eggs.

I heard someone walking down the stairs. So, I cleaned up the kitchen and started putting our food on the table. I saw my sister rubbing her eyes as she greeted me.

"Morning Onii-chan. You're up early. And you cooked? That's rather unusual"

"Yeah, your onii-chan woke up early and couldn't sleep again. So, he went to the park to run and after that he came back home to shower and after that he cooked for his precious sister. Isn't that okay?" I asked as I gave her a bowl of rice and also took my seat and started eating. While eating, I noticed that Komachi was still staring at me. She looked kinda worried. So, I finished my breakfast and asked:

"Komachi why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong?"

"Well, it's just unusual for you to wake up early, onii-chan and go on a early morning run and also cook. Did something happen last week?"

"Nothing happened Komachi. I just wanted to change a little bit. So, I decided to lessen my laziness."

She looked confused and said:

"Okay. If you say so onii-chan. Because normally, I wake you up. It just caught me off guard. And thank god you are waking up early! More beauty sleep for me, hehe."

I smiled at my sister and patted her head. Well, at least she doesn't know about me quitting the club yet. I looked at the time and saw it was 5:40. So, I excused myself from Komachi. I needed to do some stuff before school starts.

She said goodbye to me as I got on my bike and went off to school. While going to school I thought about Hiratsuka sensei's reaction, when the girls finally tell her what happened. I assume she will try to convince me to not quit but sorry sensei; I don't want to be with people who see me as nothing but a problem.

I thought about how to convince her to let me leave the club. An idea came to me. As crazy as it sounds, I wish Caren-san will help me with this. I hope she comes to the school early. I have to tell her about my plan.

I arrived to school really early and went to my classroom. I saw no one there as I entered. I left my bag on my seat and went to the infirmary. While I was walking towards the infirmary, I started wondering about Caren-san. Will she help me with Hiratsuka sensei or will she jerk me around like before.

I sighed to myself. I already knew she will have some of her fun before she even agrees helps me. I arrived in front of the infirmary and knocked on the door before going inside. I said out loud:

"Caren-san, are you there? It's me. I need to talk to you about something and I need your help"

I entered the room and saw her getting something out of her mini fridge. She turned to me and said:

"Yes Hachi, I'm here. What are we going to talk about? And of course I'll help!" She winked at me and smiled before sitting behind her desk.

"Really Caren-san? You're not going to stop calling me that, are you?" I looked at her and saw her signature grin.

I sighed to myself. Well atleast she does consider me as a friend. So, I'll just let her call me that. I sat down next to her and began explaining, what my plan is for later, when Hiratsuka sensei would ask me about the club.

Later in the Classroom

After explaining everything to Caren-san, she teased me for a bit. But then, she agreed to help me and said that she would talk to Hiratsuka sensei about it. I thanked her for helping me and went back to my classroom.

By now, I saw many people had started arriving into the school.

I opened the door and went to my seat. Immediately, I got my earphones out and listened to some music. I also read a light novel that Zaimokuza had referred to me. The first chapter was okay: It was a generic adventure novel in a world filled with monsters and magic, in a medieval setting.

I thought it was rather interesting but after the first chapter… It went all downhill from there: a lot of conflict suddenly occurred, a number of ridiculous scenes, that had plenty of fan service and lastly the hero, becomes over powered quickly! I quickly closed the book and hid it in my bag. Never, I mean never ever, will I take suggestions from Zaimokuza again.

I checked the time. It was 7:00am. I still had thirty minutes before class started. I felt a little sleepy because I normally didn't get up that early. So, I put my arms on my desk and lay my head there and decided to take a quick nap. As I lay my head there, trying to get some sleep, I felt like someone was staring at me.

Maybe its Yuigahama. I hope she doesn't get up and comes near me. I don't want to make a scene. I turned my head and faced the wall. I focused on sleeping again. But I still felt like someone was looking at me. I sighed to myself. 'Nice. When I want to get some sleep, there is always someone that is ready to ruin it for me.' I thought sarcastically.

I slowly raised my head from my desk. As I scanned the classroom, to find who was the one, that was looking at me. I looked at the front, then I checked out my left side and as expected, I saw Yuigahama quickly looking away from me. So it was her. Huh, I gave up on sleeping.

I also saw that Hiratsuka sensei had entered the room. We did our morning greetings and then she discussed somethings we had to do in our homeroom period. She finished 20 minutes before the time. Finally, she called me and said:

"Hikigaya, can you come to the front now? I want to ask you about something" she looked serious and concerned as she said that.

I was kinda nervous for this but I already made up my mind. Sorry Sensei. I stood up and said:

"Sensei, if it's about me quitting the service club, then you won't be able to change my decision. I will not change my mind about it."

I said it loud enough for everyone in my class to hear. As I said that I could see from the corner of my eyes, Yuigahama's reaction. She was really shocked and she looked rather depressed. Come one Yuigahama! Don't be like that! The problem in your club is leaving. You should be happy and celebrating, right? I won't bother you and the other two anymore. So, you should be okay with that, right? I saw that I had everyone's attention and it looked like Hiratsuka sensei was shocked by my decision. She was about to say something but I followed it up with:

"I don't want to be near people who treat me like I'm a problem. And people who don't like me. So please, sensei, hear me out! You put me in the service club to change my personality, right?"

She nodded and said:

"Yes Hikigaya. That was my reason for forcing you to join the service club."

"I think it would be best for me to leave that club since it rarely gets request these days. I found something more that can help me with my personality and it also involves me helping people in some way."

I got up went to the front door and opened it. As expected, I saw Caren-san to the side of it, waiting for me. She looked at me seriously and asked:

"Are you sure about this Hikigaya-kun? If you do this there will be no turning back now."

I looked at her and nodded. Then I stepped aside to let her in and after that I closed the door behind her. The attention I got earlier was gone in an instance because of the beautiful nurse that entered the classroom. Hiratsuka sensei looked at me, then she looked at Caren-san before she asked me:

"Okay Hikigaya. I'll listen to what you have to say and what your plan is. But first, who is she and why is she here?"

I was about to introduce her but she stopped me and introduced herself to the class. She said:

"Good morning everyone. I am Caren Hortensia; the school nurse. And I have come to help my friend, Hachi over here" She pointed to me and winked.

She really can't resist calling me that when she is being mischievous. I sighed and looked at her as she smiled.

"Caren-san, stop calling me that, please. It's embarrassing, really." I answered her.

"Okay Hachi. I'll just call you that when we are all alone. Is that what you want, hmmm?" She asked while looking at me making, with an innocent face.

I face palmed as I looked at her again. I can see that she was enjoying, what she has doing in my classroom. I should have known that she will always cause some chaos, wherever she goes, if I am there.

Someone coughed and I was brought back to reality. I saw Hiratsuka sensei looking kinda pissed. Why sensei, did Caren-san do something? She just called me Hachi. Is that such a big deal? Sensei looked at us and asked:

"Hello Hortensia-san. I am the service clubs adviser, Hiratsuka Shizuka. Why did you come here and how do you plan to help this student of mine?"

"Well, I heard that he quit your club, right? And the reason you made him join that club was to fix his personality, correct? You also wanted him to be a more sociable person. So, here is what happened. I had a thought of making him my assistant at the infirmary. While being my assistant, he will help me treat the people there and on the weekends, he will spend some time in one of the clinics that I go to."

Shizuka sensei looked at me and said.

"I don't know about that, Hortensia-san. Maybe that plan won't work."

"Well, if you force him to return to a club that doesn't want him and to the people that he doesn't like, then what will happen, Shizuka Sensei? You don't even have to think what will happen, right? So, why not let him have a new environment and let's see what happens. If this doesn't work, then I promise to send him back to the service club."

Shizuka sensei nodded to what Caren-san said. She looked a bit hesitant but she asked me:

"Hikigaya, is this what you really want? To leave the club and be her assistant in the infirmary?"

"Yes sensei. This is what I want. So please, allow me to be her assistant. I think a change in scenery will be good for me. And if you force me to go back to the club now, I don't think that it will end well." I slightly bowed after answering her.

Hiratsuka was thinking for a moment but after some time she looked at me, rather hesitantly and said:

"Okay Hikigaya. I'll allow this arrangement. I hope you improve your personality with Hortensia-san and I wish you the best in this choice of yours."

"Thank you sensei, for taking care of me up until now" I said as I looked relieved with her decision.

After I answered I felt someone hug me from behind. I tilted my head sideways to look and I saw Caren-san hugging me and smiling. Well, teasing will be a normal thing for my life from now on. I knew what I had gotten myself into. Caren-san was rather happy that Hiratsuka sensei approved of my plan and after she clung to my back, she said out loud:

"Congrats Hachi. Your "old" sensei there just approved of our relationship… Uhm.. I mean... our partnership. You can start later okay? So don't be late. Your Oneesan here has many things to teach you, okay?" she winked as she said that.

I looked at the classroom and I saw that the eyes of all the male students were on me. They looked like they were seeing something that was impossible in front of their eyes. I ignored them as I focused on my legs. Caren-san just jumped on my back! This nurse seems a little bit too happy. Well, she won't be lonely anymore. So, I won't spoil her happiness for now. Again, I was cut from my train of thought by Hiratsuka sensei who coughed. She looked rather angry for some reason and said:

"Hikigaya and Hortensia-san, can you please stop now. You two are still in a classroom. So please behave yourselves!"

I gently put Caren-san down and apologized to Hiratsuka sensei. But this devilish nurse had other plans as she said:

"Sorry Hiratsuka-san. I was just so happy that I can be with Hachi, almost every day, so I did that. And Hikigaya-kun, I'll show you how happy I can be later okay... when we are all alone." She finished it with a smile and licked her lips suggestively.

I felt a shiver run up my spine as she said those words to me. But I just chuckled at her and nodded. Caren-san just walked gleefully out the room and back to the infirmary. I got back to my seat and Hiratsuka sensei just left the room, saying we had 15 minutes of free time. But before she left she looked at me for some reason. She looked rather sad and disappointed. I think she doesn't want me to leave the club. But sorry sensei; I won't be coming back to that clubroom, any time soon. But it's not like we won't be seeing each other. You're still my homeroom and literature teacher. I just don't want to see some girls right now. Even if you make me sit in a room with them, listening is all I'll do.

The day passed by quickly but I felt someone staring at me during classes. It must be Yuigahama. She still can't get over the fact that I left the service club. I ignored it. I didn't look at her direction to confirm it nor did I want to look at her for now. As the bell rung and signaled for lunch, I was got up and went to the infirmary, to have my lunch with Caren-san. But I heard Yuigahama calling out my name and judging by her voice, she was coming close to where I was.

"Hikki, can we talk about what happened last week? Please let me explain our side."

Before she could grab on to me I quickly got out of the classroom. I wanted to buy my lunch from the cafeteria and go to Caren-san. I wanted to ask her what she will teach me and what will be the things I will do for her while in the clinic and in the school. While I dashed out of the classroom, I heard her still calling out to me so we could talk. I ignored her plea. What is there to talk about? You already said those things about me; so please let me be for now. She was persistent in chasing me but I made sure that I would lose her before I went to the cafeteria. After losing her in the second floor, I was tired. So, I rested for a bit before going down the stairs.

I quickly made my way to the cafeteria. I got in line and got two yakisoba breads and two meat buns. As I was waiting for my turn to pay for my purchase, I saw Isshiki looking around the place. She was probably looking for me. Like Yuigahama she will explain her side and want me to forgive her for the things she said. Sorry Isshiki; even if you explain to me, it won't change my choice and you won't be able to boss me around anymore. I can now go home without being so tired from doing all your work in the student council. I smiled as I thought of that. When it was my turn to pay I gave the exact amount. I wanted to enjoy my lunch with Caren-san but that may be kind of hard to do. Isshiki then noticed me and she came in my direction. As I saw her approach me, I went the opposite side. I wanted to shake her off my trail but she was determined to talk to me. While walking quickly in the school hallway I was thinking of a plan on what I was going to do about those two.

I heard Isshiki call out my name as she said:

"Senpai! Please wait! Let me explain Senpai! Senpai I said please wait for me!"

I ignored her calls to me as I quickly ran to the direction of the infirmary. I quickly open the door and I saw Caren-san sitting on behind her desk. She looked at me confused. She got up as she saw I was slightly sweating. She looked worried and asked me.

"Hikigaya-kun, why do you look like someone's been stalking you?"

Me? Being stalked? Heh; I laughed at that thought. No one in their right mind will stalk me. If they did there is something very wrong with their heads. Caren-san got a small towel and started to wipe the sweat off my face as I realized those two girls will obviously come here. They will ask if I'm here and if Caren-san says no; they will force their way in to talk to me. I quickly thought of a plan. I gently got Caren-san's hand and asked her.

"Caren-san, I need a favor from you again."

She locked the door and nodded as she listened to my request.

"I won't be able to have lunch with you today because there are two girls who are looking for me and they really want to talk to me. I need you to talk to them while I get out of here through the window at the back."

"Hikigaya-kun, why not try talking to them. Don't you want to talk to them right now?" She asked me as I slightly opened the window for my escape.

"No, I don't want to talk to them right now." I answered her. She looked worried. I know she wants me to make up with them but nope; that's not going to happen.

She gave me a serious look and after a moment, she scratches the back of her head and says:

"Okay Hikigaya-kun. You owe me for this and before you go out at the back; can I have your cellphone number? I need it now so we can contact each other for our lunch dates and when you will come with me on the weekends."

I chuckled to her about the lunch dates. Nothing I can do about her constant teasing. I gave Caren-san my phone and she put her contact in it.

She quickly texted me and I replied to her text to show her that I got it. After a moment I heard Yuigahama and Isshiki's voices. They were near the infirmary. I got out by using the window and I quickly made my way to the rooftops. Maybe there I can eat in peace.

I made my way to the rooftop. After 10 minutes of wasting my time for lunch because of those two I arrived in front of the door to the rooftop. I quickly opened it and scanned the surroundings. I see that no one is here. I waste no time to find a shady spot and eat my lunch. Almost half of my lunch time I was walking so I was very hungry.

I opened the Yakisoba bread and before I bite on to it I hear a familiar voice. It wasn't Yuigahama or Isshiki. It was one of my fellow loners. Specifically it was from a certain bugs elder sister. It was Kawasomething. She was smoking again as she called me and she came down from her spot and asked:

"Hikigaya? First time I see you here during lunch. What happened to your usual spot?" She threw her cigarette and sat in front of me as she drank some soda.

"Well I won't eat there anymore because I have made a promise to eat with someone. Unfortunately I can't eat with her right now because of some reasons."

When Kawasomething heard my reply her cheeks turned into a shade of pink as she asked me.

"Her? So you are going to have lunch with a girl?"

"Yup; my friend and also club adviser"

"You mean Hiratsuka sensei?"

Before I bite into my food I stopped and gave her a confused looked. She thought I was having lunch with Hiratsuka sensei? Better to clear the misunderstandings right now. I bite into the meat bun and after swallowing it I answered her.

"Nope it's kind of with my new club. Caren Hortensia, the school nurse." I looked at her after answering. She looked a little shocked from what I said. Maybe she wasn't there in the morning when I said that I quit the service club.

"You quit the service club; but why? You were such a good fit with those two."

"I thought so too… Unfortunately that wasn't the way Yuigahama and Yukinoshita saw it."

After saying that she looked quite shocked and asked me.

"What do you mean by that Hikigaya? I thought you were good friends with those two."

"I also had the same idea but no… they said I was only a problem to them…"

I remembered last year when I was looking for Sagami. She helped. I need to ask her if she wants to be friends with me. We know each other but we haven't talked that much to be considered as friends. I want to start fresh so I have to take the initiative. Now here I go! But I couldn't remember her name so I should ask her.

"Kawasomething?" I asked her nervously.

"Huh? Did you forget my name Hikigaya?"

"Yes… I'm sorry about that…" I answered her as I bowed my head down slightly.

She looked rather mad because I forgot about her name but after that she answered me:

"My names Kawasaki Saki and please remember it this time."

"Okay and sorry about forgetting your name."

She nodded as I asked her again.

"Kawasaki, can we be friends?"

She looked at me and then she looked away before she answered

"Why? Aren't we friends already? I already considered you a friend when you helped me out with my problems Hikigaya."

I gave out a sigh of relief as she said that to me. I was the one worrying over nothing.

"Thanks for that. I thought you didn't because after that we only talked a few times."

"N-n-no p-p-problem H-hikigaya." She said while stuttering.

I want to be close to her. We are both loners; so we have somethings in common. I thought I could ask her if she wants to call me by my first name.

"Hey Kawasaki if you don't mind you can I call you Saki?

I smile at her and upon seeing my smile she turned into a tomato instantly.

"I d-d-don't mind but why this all of a sudden Hikigaya?"

I look at her and pondered. Well it is really strange to call each other by first names all of a sudden. But I answer her with:

"Well, we are friends and friends don't mind calling each other by their first names right?"

"Oh O-o-okay then…"

She was quiet for a while then I told her.

"And you can call me Hachiman if you like"

Again she turned into a tomato; scratch that, she is even redder than a tomato and she continues to stutter while she talks.

"Okay Ha-Ha-Hachiman"

"Saki you shouldn't be so nervous around me and if you're embarrassed to call me that I'm ok with Hikigaya too."

She settled down and looked at me and just nodded. Well calling someone by their first names is kind of embarrassing even for me, so I know how she feels. So I said something to her to break the awkwardness between us.

"Saki I know we hadn't talk much last year, but I look forward to spending more time with you this time. So please don't be shy around me."

"Okay Hachiman and do you mind if I go with you to your new club later? I am curious to see what kind of adviser you have."

I thought for a while; she wants to come to the infirmary later. I will be teased a lot by Caren-san again and she will see how clingy and mischievous that nurse is to me. I asked her nervously.

"Are you sure you want to come with me later S-S-Saki?" I stuttered as I answered her.

I am not used to calling others by their first names. I may need some time to get used to it.

"Yes!" she answered

I sigh as I knew what was going to happen later but it's okay. I got another friend with me now, so the teasing later is worth it. I chuckle a bit as I say to her.

"Suddenly calling each other by names is rather embarrassing right Saki?"

"Yes Hachiman it is a little embarrassing…"

I was about to say something but the bell rung, signaling the end of lunch. I got up and held my hand to Saki as I said to her.

"Let's go back to the classroom Saki. Lunch is already finished.

She looks at me and after a second she relaxes and holds my hand as I pull her up and she answers me.

"Okay Hachiman lets head back."

Well at least we aren't stuttering like earlier so it's okay and we have a lot of time to get used to calling each other by our names. As we head back to the classroom we talked about our siblings and surprisingly, we had a really nice conversation on how we take care of our younger siblings.

We entered the room and I followed Saki to her chair. We were still talking since the teacher hasn't arrived yet. We both felt some eyes staring at us as we talked. Well it is the first time we talked while we were in class; so that's why they are looking at us. Both of us ignored it. After five minutes the teacher came in and before I went back to my place I said to her.

"Okay Saki; later then. I'll introduce you to my new friend."

"O-okay Ha-Ha-hachiman."

I chuckle at her as she stutters again in calling me by my name. She once again turns into a shade of pink as I got back to my seat. The day goes by quickly but this time I try to participate more in class- I raise my hand more to answer the sensei's question, I ask our sensei to clarify some details, when most of the class didn't get what the teacher was teaching in math and the most shocking part I beat Hayama in a debate.

The topic was about whether change is good or bad. We flipped a coin to know who will go first. I won and I chose that change is good. This debate seems rather ironic for me. I didn't want to change as I distanced myself from almost everyone. I didn't trust anyone and I wanted to be alone all the time.

Now look at me; I am changing little by little. I am opening up more to some people and I trust people more. I still enjoy my time alone for reading but I think I can spend a little less time alone when I make some more friends.

Anyway, back to the topic. Hayama was good on explaining his side of the story. Well he does like that; I mean not changing ever. He doesn't want to change the balance of their groups' relationship, he just settles for that stalemate; not ever moving forward. Once he was done, I gave my statement for change is good.

I know I was just starting to change myself for the better. But let me take this step for improving myself so I expressed myself as I said the things I felt about this topic. We were given some time to give some counter statements against each other. I was winning to the shock of my class. Hayama couldn't counter almost all of my points in the debate as I always had a counter for his. After the 15 minute debate was up, the teacher called us to the front and told the class who the winner was.

The class gave a little applause to me and I enjoyed my moment of victory. Then the Sensei made us shake hands. We did that and as always I could hear Ebina shouting from her seat "HayaxHachi forever!" Which resulted in blood coming out of her nose. Yumiko then comes to her aid as she covers her nose. She then asks the teacher to accompany her friend to the infirmary to be treated. The Sensei approves of it and then off they went. I also went back to my seat and the day passed by.

Once classes were finished and I was preparing my thing, Saki approached me as she said to me while slightly blushing:

"Hachiman, I'll wait for you at the corner okay."

She quickly got out of the class and I think she really is embarrassed when she calls me by my first name. I did say to her that she can call me that but if she is like that then she can just call me Hikigaya again. It's no big deal for me. I got out and looked for her at the corner of the hall. I saw her there waiting for me. I called out to her and said we should first head over to the vending machines. As we walked we also talk about things we do when we are not at school. Saki works on her part time jobs and she mostly takes care of her siblings: the bug and Keika. I, on the other hand spend my time, playing games on my Vitachan, reading books and mostly sleeping.

Well, I am slowly changing so my time sleeping will be lessened. When we arrived at the vending machines I got some water and headed to the infirmary. As we were heading back we were still talking about ourselves. We were enjoying our conversation when we heard some people shouting from a distance.

I knew two out of the three voices. They belonged to Isshiki and Yuigahama. Their voices were really loud but when the last person shouted, the two completely couldn't answer back from how scary the tone was. I quickly realized on who the last person is and sprinted to that direction. As I turned around a corner to see what was happening, I saw Yuigahama and Isshiki. They looked slightly shocked and scared. I turn to where they were looking and I saw a fuming and very angry looking Caren-san. Her face was red from anger and she glared at the two girls in front of her.

I don't know why she is this angry but I have got to end this situation quickly before it gets out of hand.

 **Short AN**

 **Hello again!**

 **Thank you for the favorites and follows!**

 **I wish I had put more detail on the debate between Hayama and Hikigaya but sadly I had run out of ideas there, I will try to put more detail on the next chapter. I wanted to finish this chapter quickly to give sometime to the girls that will be potentially paired to Hachiman namely Saki, Yumiko and Hina.**

 **Thank you to Betrayed Dreams for Beta reading and giving me his views and Ideas for my next chapter.**

 **thatguywhowrote who gave me some Ideas thank you!**

 **Before I forget I still need one more Beta reader so if you're interested in helping me with the story just pm me.**

 **See you again in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

Conflict is defined as the situation wherein people differ in their feelings, thought and/or actions.

In general, it was believed that conflicts were the underlying cause of disputes. In other words, a dispute was a manifestation of a deep rooted conflict. It can also be defined as 'a kind or class of conflict', which manifested itself in distinct, justifiable issues.

It was said that a conflict could exist without disputes, but never the other way around. Conflicts were generally perceived as a negative term, but it too had its own pros and cons.

Positive conflicts could be helpful to generate new ideas, make innovations, helped people to be creative and "real". But this had to be maintained so that it would not get out of control and bring about dysfunctional consequences.

Now, whatever the reason of the conflict was between these three girls in front of me, I knew one thing: I had to stop them before they hurt each other.

I quickly came in-between the three as I attempted to block Caren-san from hurting either Isshiki or Yuigahama. I looked at her and said out loud:

"Caren-san! Calm down and don't do anything stupid!"

She looked at me for a second then focused all her attention back on the two girls behind me. What did they ever do to get her this mad? I'll ask her later when she has calmed down, for now I had to separate her from these two.

I was still thinking of a solution when Saki came to my side and, after seeing the two sides, went to me and asked.

"Hachiman what's going on here? Why is that person so angry with Isshiki and Yuigahama?"

"I have no clue, but for now let's just end this without anyone getting hurt." I answered her as I thought of a plan for this situation.

Looking at Saki I had an idea on how to solve this problem. I whispered my plan to her, to which she nodded before going to Yuigahama and Isshiki's side.

She proceeded to talk to them while I stretched my arms sideward to block Caren-san, preventing her from going anywhere. As Saki was talking to the two Caren-san suddenly lunged towards them, screaming, growling and clawing her way at them.

This was the first time I saw her furious. To stop her from hurting anybody I wrapped my arms around her waist and put all of my strength in my legs to keep her from moving.

This nurse, despite her slim body (which actually felt nice if she hadn't been in a rage), had a lot of explosive power stored inside and it was clear to me that she was breaking free from my grasp. I concentrated the last remainders of my strength to restrain her as I shouted.

"Saki, hurry up and make those two leave here now! I can't hold her for much longer!"

Seeing what was happening from my side Saki quickly finished chatting with the two and quickly left the area. She then went back to me and helped me with this angry nurse.

After taking her to the infirmary she was still quite mad so we gave her time to cool her head off.

Once she had calmed down enough, Caren-san quickly got to her desk and opened a can of Max Coffee, gulping the drink down. I waited for her to finish before introducing her to Saki and then ask why she was so mad earlier with Isshiki and Yuigahama.

Tossing the now empty can to the bin she was still upset, but at least her pout told me I could maybe talk to her about what had happened earlier. Sitting down across the table, I introduced the new face in the room.

"Caren-san, this is Kawasaki Saki, she is one of my classmates and a friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you Caren-san." Said Saki, bowing down.

"Nice to meet you Saki-chan. And do forgive my demeanor earlier, I was just offended with what one of those girls said to me..." Her eyes were downcast and her expression turned to a sad one.

Saki and I just looked at each other and blinked.

I was a bit worried for her as it was the first time for me to see her like that. She said it was something they told her, what could they have said to make her that angry? Putting into consideration Yuigahama's personality, I know for sure she is not the kind of person to say something rude out of spite. Isshiki, on the other hand...

Well, she can spit some rather insulting stuff. But I needed to know her entire side of the story before I talk with them tomorrow, so I moved my chair to her side and asked.

"Caren-san, can you tell me what exactly happened earlier? Why were you so mad at Yuigahama and Isshiki?"

She looked me in the eyes, sighed and answered slowly.

"Well, it all started when you asked for a favor during lunch and they came here looking for you so I stalled them so you could get out through the back. I kept telling them that you don't want to talk to either of them but they still won't give up. When they couldn't wait, Isshiki-san shoved me aside I fell to the floor. They went inside here looking for you, and when they saw that you weren't really here she just left without a word. Yuigahama-san was the one that apologized to me for her actions, I told her it was okay and that she didn't mean it." Caren squeezed the bridge of her nose at the memory. "To be honest, I was already a little irritated at Isshiki-san because she didn't even apologize to me. I would have forgotten about it too if it weren't for what she had said when they returned here after class. I remembered everything earlier and from there the things she said to me made me more and more angrier than before."

So Isshiki didn't say sorry for knocking her down even after coming back when classes ended... I get that part, but she said Isshiki also mentioned something that got on her nerves. I wonder what she said? I placed a hand under my chin in thought and for a while I couldn't come up with anything.

Yuigahama was not faultless in that situation, she could have tried to stop Isshiki and intervened between them, if I didn't hear their screaming earlier those two might have hurt each other and Yuigahama would most likely be helpless to stop them.

After all that pondering about what could have happened, I sighed in relief that I at least arrived at the last moment to prevent things from escalating any further. Snapping out of my thoughts, I asked her again.

"Caren-san, what exactly did Isshiki say that you were so angry earlier? To be honest, you scared even me. That was the first time I saw you like that so it was really a surprise to me."

She chuckled at my words, got up from her seat and approached me. I saw the glint of mischief in her eyes so I braced myself for her teasing. She gently held my head against her chest and petted me like an older sister would to her younger sibling.

"I'm sorry if I scared you earlier Hachi, but your Onee-chan was very upset. To make it up to you, let me do this okay."

She winked after saying that, then after petting my head she kissed me on both cheeks. She licked her lips in satisfaction from what she did and chuckled as I stayed stunned for a moment. I was blushing really hard right now, and it was too late for me to realize that I had forgotten about the other person in the room!

Kawasaki saw what this devious nurse had done, she was probably shocked at what she saw. I slowly looked over to my side and saw the girl, her mouth wide open and her face redder than a tomato. I had to explain things to her before she got the wrong idea so I pulled away from Caren-san and approached Saki, hoping I could somehow explain this devilish nurse's naughty habit of teasing me to no end.

"Umm… You see Saki, what you saw earlier was just Caren-san's way of... teasing me. That's all, there was absolutely no meaning to her kisses."

"You're so mean Hachi! What do you mean there was no meaning to my kisses, of course there was! Hachi, I kissed you because I like you~" She winked while saying that, grinning altogether.

Kawasaki was slightly shaking and she seemed rather speechless from what had just transpired before her very eyes, stuck in a trance-like state which lasted for a while. Once she had calmed down however, Caren-san did the liberty of clearing out any misunderstandings.

I still had yet to find out what had pissed her off earlier, so once she was done with Kawasaki I asked her again, and this time I wanted some answers from her.

"Back to the topic, what did Isshiki tell you? And don't try changing the subject this time because I will keep asking until you give me an answer." I looked at her seriously to show her my intent at finding out.

She was rather hesitant at first, but seeing how determined I am she sighed.

"She just told me I was a bitch for stealing you away from them. She also told me I was the one that influenced you to not talk to them, and that I told you to quit the club. I was about to explain why you left but she wouldn't let me a word in, and she kept blaming me for you not avoiding them. When she wanted to enter the room and I said you weren't there, she shouted at me and told me to stop getting in the way from talking with you. She wouldn't listen to anything I say, then she pushed me aside and I fell down kind of hard. After that I couldn't take any more of her attitude so I shouted back at them. I wasn't going to hurt them, I just wanted them to leave immediately. But when you arrived I remembered the things they said to you last week that I got so angry, I lost myself for a moment. S-sorry for showing you something ugly like that Hikigaya-kun..."

After saying that, she held her knees to her chest and rested her head on them. Her sad eyes appeared watery and she began to sniffle, then some tears fell down from the corner of her eyes when she blinked. I gently patted her head as I looked at her and gave her a gentle smile.

"It's okay, Caren-san. You didn't do any of those things that Isshiki said, just forget everything she said." I said, trying to console her.

She raised her head for a moment to look at me with her teary eyes and after that she cried on her knees. I just rubbed her back to provide any comfort her as she vented out her feelings from earlier. Once she recovered, she returned to her cheerful and teasing personality. Well that's a good thing at least, she quickly got over the incident from earlier.

Saki saw how clingy this mischievous nurse was to me, she practically clung to me all the time when she was discussing what my duties and responsibilities were as her new assistant. She teased me a lot too, during the time that Saki was with us, she enjoyed the blushing faces that Saki did whenever she made her move on me.

She would use her forehead to check my temperature, she'd press her head against my chest to listen to my heartbeat and even sit on my lap while discussing my other responsibilities. I should really stop her else Saki might faint...

...but I'll spoil her for now at least, just so she could forget most of what Isshiki said.

I can't help but blush whenever she'd tease me, but Saki proved to me that a person's cheeks could actually become redder than a tomato.

Sometime later, Caren-san finally got tired of Kawasaki's 50 shades of embarrassed faces. She went over to Saki and the two chatted for a while. I was curious on what they were talking about, but when I looked at the time it was already late.

"Ehem..." I coughed to get their attention. "It's getting really late, we need to go already."

"Alright Hachi. And Saki-chan, remember what I said, okay? So don't worry about it." She winked at Saki while grinning about something.

"Yes Caren-san, I won't..." Saki slightly blushed after what she said.

Huh, I wonder what that was about. I sort of wanted to know but somehow my gut told me not to ask about it. Saki stood first and said she had to go out first because she needed to fetch some ingredients for dinner. I helped her pack things up and clean the place before we left, locking the door of the infirmary afterwards.

As we made our way out of the school I had been thinking: I wanted to do something to cheer Caren-san up because of today's events. I remembered that she had a lot of books at the infirmary and not all those were medical ones, some were books about literature, mythology others were fictional works.

Maybe I could ask her if she would like to come with me to my favorite bookstore on the weekends. After clinic duty she likes to read a lot so why not?.

"Ehem..."

"Hmm?" Caren-san stopped walking and looked back at me.

"When we are finished working at the clinic this Saturday, are you free? I mean, I know a good bookstore near the mall. So do you want to come with me?"

She looked at me confused for a second before she gave me her signature grin, her eyes sparkled in delight and mischief while she asked me.

"Are you asking me out, Hachi? Is this a date?"

"Call it whatever you like. So, will you go with me? Yes or no?"

"Of course I'll go!" She shouted with glee and she showed me how happy she was with her smile.

When we walked out of the school grounds Caren-san received a call from her mother. She excused herself quickly because yesterday she forgot to buy some ingredients for cooking, so now she had to rush towards the nearest store to buy. I offered to go with her but she said it was fine, she can manage by herself and it seemed like her mother was really hungry so she had to be fast. After saying our goodbyes she ran off to her destination while I headed home.

Halfway there I received a text from Komachi saying we needed some soy sauce and some other stuff for dinner tonight. I replied back to my dear little sister and I went to the nearest convenience store around.

Would I run into Caren-san here? Well, she was in a hurry...

I entered the store and looked around to see if I can spot her, the place wasn't that big and there weren't many people around. Plus her white hair made it even easier to find her. I scanned the surroundings but didn't see her, she must have finished her shopping earlier than I expected.

I took a small shopping cart and made my way around the aisles searching for the groceries Komachi needed. Once I had everything I went straight to the counter and paid for them. As I left and was about to head on my way home, I saw a familiar figure from a distance.

It was Saki, and she was with her younger sister Keika. It seemed they bought something from the plastic bags the younger girl had in her hands. When she saw me from a distance she quickly ran off to me as she shouted.

"Ha-chan! Ha-chan! Ha-chan!"

"Keika, don't run or you might trip!" Saki yelled as she followed her younger sibling.

The younger Kawasaki didn't really care and ran to me, clinging to one of my legs, quite happy to see me again. Well it had been a long time since I last saw her, that was last year when she was one of the angels at the Christmas event we held at the community center. I gently patted her head as we waited for Saki to reach us.

"Ha-chan, won't you carry me please?" Keika asked me cutely.

"Sorry about that Hachiman, did Keika bother you?"

"No Saki, she didn't. But she did ask me something."

Saki looked at Keika then she said in a loud voice.

"Sa-chan, I want Ha-chan to carry me!"

Keika jumped in place, nagging us to cater her whim. She was really a bundle of joy, heck she was cute too.

"Keika don't bother Hachiman. Look, he also went shopping and he has to go home now. Maybe next time, okay?" She then turned to me. "Sorry about that."

Keika looked sad and with that my Onii-chan senses reacted. I sat down as I looked at Saki and said.

"It's okay, I can carry her while I tag along with you."

"But you live in the opposite direction."

"I can go with you while I carry her halfway through, and our house is not that far so it's okay."

Keika brightened up upon hearing me but Saki didn't seem to fancy the idea. But the imouto used her ultimate move "Cute Puppy Dog Eyes" that we elder siblings could not say no to, and even added a cute way of saying, "Sa-chan please~ I'll be good, I promise!"

Kawasaki was about to say no but after seeing how her little sister was and how she was pleading to her she couldn't dare to do so. She sighed and nodded to Keika's wish, I gently got her up and on my shoulders. As we were walking Saki looked really worried that Keika might fall down.

"Don't worry," I reassured her. "I won't let Keika fall, when Komachi was this small I carried her the same way so many times, I'm used to it."

"Okay Hachiman, if you say so I'll trust your word."

While waking home we talked about some school stuff and we talked about how she saw Caren-san. She said that she was a very mischievous nurse and she had a very interesting way to show her affection from what she had seen. we both had the same view on her then.

We then encountered an old lady whom smiled at us at the sight of Keika. As we passed by her I swore I heard her say, "what a lovely young couple." I chuckled at the thought while Saki was blushing madly.

"Sa-chan, when Ha-chan is not busy can he come to our house again? I want to play house with both of you, he will play the papa and you will be the mama."

Who knew Saki's face could grow redder than it was already.

"When I'm not busy? Sure, I'll come play with you again."

"Yay! Ha-chan will play with me again!" She shouted and cheered.

"Keika, don't move so much you might fall down!"

The younger Kawasaki didn't care and just enjoyed her ride, smiling all the way. Saki was truly a good sister to Keika, she took good care of her and even now she was showing her caring side. I remember when Komachi was so small that I could do this to her, she also was like Keika, always smiling and active. Those were some great times with her, I wish I go back to those times again with Komachi.

Twenty minutes of walking passed, we reached our halfway point so I gently put down Keika. Saki thanked me and they went on their way. I turn around and walked to my house as Komachi needed these items right now. I checked my phone for the time, it wasn't that late yet but I texted Komachi that I'll be taking a bit of a while to come home.

I thought of the things I needed to do tomorrow, I needed to talk with Yuigahama and Isshiki, tell Isshiki to apologize to Caren-san for what she did and said to her, and talk to them and ask them to stop following me around during lunch. It's a little frustrating when I couldn't enjoy my entire lunch time if they're always on my tail.

When I finally reached home I opened the door and went to the kitchen to store the groceries I bought for Komachi, then went to my room to change my clothes. I then went downstairs to help Komachi by preparing the table and getting us some drinks from the refrigerator. After dinner, I cleaned up even though it was Komachi's turn to do that today. She need not say it, but I know she needed to study for her entrance exams.

"Komachi I'll do the dishes later so you just go to your room and study for your entrance exams, okay? And don't stay up too late studying."

"Okay Onii-chan, then I'll be going now! But before that,"

She rushed to my side and kissed me on my cheek.

"That scored me a ton of Komachi points! Thanks, Onii-chan~"

"Yes, though it could have been more if you hadn't said that."

She flashed me a beautiful smile before she scampered off to her room. After doing the dishes, I retreated to my own room where my mind wandered off recollecting today's events, as well as what's in store for tomorrow. Exhausted for it had been a busy day, I reminded myself on talking with the girls before I completely drifted off to sleep.

 **Very short AN**

 **Thank you for the views on my last chapter 1.4k! That is just wow really I am shocked and very happy to see that.**

 **Thank you for thatguywhowrote for beta reading this and for giving me some Ideas here.**

 **To everyone who followed and favorited this thanks! :D**

 **Sorry if this chapter was short I'll try to make the next one 4.5k**

 **Please look forward to the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

In my life, I have been exposed to a challenge called change. Change can occur and be dealt with in many different ways. I have come to the awareness that change can be the deepest of all things.

I always thought that changes occurred simply when you moved to a state or when you've lost someone dear to you. Those are some of the challenges brought about by change. But it doesn't have to occur over a climactic incident. It could just appear when your brain winds up when it's time to do something different. Even with friends, that single night could change what you used to have and know and move on.

Not all people can stay the same for a long time. If the people we love and adore would just accept the change and go with it, they would understand where it was coming from. It could be shaky to try and stop or fight it, especially if the person truly wishes to change a lot.

When I was ready for high school, I was expected to change almost everything in my life. The reason that somebody wanted to change was usually not their choice, but a feeling that the person felt inside their head. Maybe those particular things weren't the best, but if you dug deeper and tried to understand the reason behind them, then you'd see that the person you adored wasn't really changing. They were just trying to find themselves.

And the one thing they needed the most was the support of the people whom they cared about the most.

I woke up very early in the morning again to jog at the park like yesterday, but today I pushed myself to my limit. I ran around the park twenty times earlier and that tired me out so much that I almost had to crawl my way towards one of the park benches to get some rest.

Old habits die hard, and I was too lazy to do stretches before I ran. Well, it can't be helped. My laziness and stubbornness cannot be removed immediately as they had been a part of me for a long time. But I could try to lessen the instances so at least I was slowly changing myself for the better.

I rested for a bit until I was able to walk again. After getting back on my feet I went straight home, beat and sweaty from my morning run. It took about twenty minutes to walk back to my house and when I arrived there I quickly got in the shower.

Once I was done bathing and had put on my uniform, I went to our kitchen and started to cook some scrambled eggs. I also found some leftover fish from yesterday's dinner so I put that on a plate, heating it up with the microwave. While I was cooking the eggs I was thinking of how to talk to Isshiki and Yuigahama. Yuigahama was easy because of her friendly attitude, but I think that Isshiki may be more troublesome than I could ever expect

.

Deep in thought I hadn't noticed that Komachi managed to sneak behind me, wrapping her arms around me into a tight embrace.

"Good morning, onii-chan! Did you wake up and run around the park again?"

"Yes, Komachi, I did. And please stop hugging me, I'm cooking right now so go set up the table so we can eat after I finish."

"Okay, onii-chan I'm on it~"

As my dearest sister in the world prepared our table for breakfast I was about to be caught up in my thoughts, but I could I immediately remembered to placed the scrambled eggs on the plate to prevent it from getting burnt.

 _'Now that that's over, how am I ever going to talk to Isshiki and tell her to apologize for what she has done to Caren-san?'_

While trying to come up with solutions for my dilemma, Komachi called me over to join her to eat. I went to my seat and placed the food on the table.

Even when we were sitting across each other on the table my mind was still too preoccupied, so much that I didn't notice Komachi had been staring at me. I was brought back to reality when I felt a chill from someone's gaze, finding her eyes glued at me.

"Komachi? What's the matter, why are you staring at me like that?" I asked.

"Onii-chan did something happen?" She appeared worried, this little sister of mine surely had exemplary intuition.

"Yes… something did happen."

"Can you tell Komachi what it is?"

"…"

I thought for a moment if I should even tell Komachi about what had happened within the past week, the concern in her eyes were just too much to handle. Sighing in defeat, I looked at her and answered:

"Komachi, before I tell you what happened, will you promise to listen to my side first when the right time comes?"

"Okay Onii-chan, I'll listen to you before I react, but when are you going to tell me?"

"I can tell you this Sunday, and along with that I would like you to meet someone new as well."

"Who is it? Is it a girl?"

"I'll tell you in time. And as you promised, you have to listen to what I say, okay?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Good." I patted her head, making her smile at me.

I knew that if I told her what had happened between me and the service club, Komachi would certainly get mad. But she did promise to listen to me first, so I hope she would respect my decision on why I quitted the club.

' _And I really hope she and Caren-san would get along as well...'_

After eating we cleaned up the table and went to our respective schools, I rode my bike while Komachi took the seat behind me. I arrived a little early, and as I went inside the room I saw that there were only a handful of students walking towards the school building.

I went to park my bike at the stands then quickly went up to my classroom. I entered the room and saw that Yuigahama was there, early as well. Seeing there weren't many classmates yet I thought now would be a good chance to talk to her so that I could focus on pursuing Isshiki during lunch break.

With that in mind, I put down my things on my desk and went to her seat. She saw me as I made my way to her and I could see her expression quickly changed at the sight of me. Her somewhat relaxed attitude went to nervous and anxious in an instant. She must have already had an idea on why I was going to talk to her.

"Yuigahama, could you come with me for a bit? I have something to ask you and I need to say something about yesterday as well."

"...Okay Hikki."

We went up halfway the closest staircase near our room. When we arrived there I could see that she was afraid of me for some reason. I think she misunderstood the situation. I spoke up first to reassure her that I wasn't not mad at her.

"Relax Yuigahama. I just need to know what happened while I wasn't there."

"Well... When you left the classroom, Iroha-chan and I searched for you around the school. We couldn't find you around so we thought you had gone to the infirmary. We quickly went there but when we arrived we saw Caren-san as she just stepped outside the room. Iroha-chan quickly went up to her and asked her if you were there. She said you weren't and that she was waiting for you to come, but for some reason Iroha-chan didn't believe her and she started shouting at Caren-san, saying mean things to her..." Yuigahama paused as she looked away from me.

"Then?" I asked, motioning her to continue.

"T-then after some time Iroha-chan wanted to force her way into the room, but Caren-san didn't want her to enter. So she pushed her aside then got really angry as she shouted at us... That's everything that happened when you weren't there."

I looked at her for a moment while recalling what Caren-san had told me yesterday. It seemed that both her and Yuigahama's story matched so that meant she had been telling the truth.

But there was still a single topic that had never left my mind. It was how to get Isshiki to apologize to Caren-san for what she did. While I was thinking, Yuigahama interrupted me with a question.

"Hikki, is that all you wanted to know? So are we..." Her voice cracked. "A-are we okay now...?"

"Yes Yuigahama, that's all I needed to know." I turned around and was headed back to our classroom when she chased me.

"S-so can we be friends again, Hikki? Please..." She was holding onto the hem of my blazer, her head hung low.

I looked at her rather confused. Did she think things would revert to normal after our talk?

"No." I scratched the back of my neck after turning around to face her with a deadpan look. "No, Yuigahama. We are not friends. I just asked you what had happened yesterday, that's all."

When she heard that, her hand let go of my clothes and went limp to her side. Her bangs were covering her eyes, but I was sure there were tears building up there.

"It's not that I'm angry at you Yuigahama, I'm just disappointed, that's all. You were there, you could have stopped Isshiki from the things she said but you did nothing. You just watched as Isshiki said those things to Caren-san and when she was angry you didn't come in between them. If Saki and I hadn't arrived at that time, who knows what could have happened if those two had a fight."

After saying that I turned around and headed for the classroom, while going down the stairs I could hear some faint sobbing and sniffing coming from Yuigahama. I don't need to see it for myself with my own eyes, sorry Yuigahama. But what I said was true and I have no intentions of being your friend again.

As I returned the room I saw that Saki was already there. Hmm… That's rather unusual since she almost always came to class late. As I sat down at my seat I saw Saki was looking at me. She stood up and walked towards me, her hands behind her like she was hiding something.

"Good morning Saki, do you need anything from me?"

"Good morning Hachiman, Keika wanted me to give you this…" She revealed the object behind her back, it was a bento.

"Keika and I made it for you as thanks for taking care of her and for giving her a ride on your shoulders."

"..."

I looked at it silently for a moment and I thought Keika would definitely grow up to be a fine girl.

"Thank you Saki and tell Keika it was no problem, I'll come play with her when I can." I said as I smiled.

"O-okay Ha-Ha-Hachiman!" Her face turned red, suddenly struggling at saying my name.

Good grief, my heart just skipped a beat! Woman, you looked so cute when you're like that! Why couldn't you act a little more feminine and bashful while at school? Though I didn't want Saki to act like that all the time, I liked her the way she was right now but being like that every now and then wasn't bad either. I chuckled at her reaction much to her annoyance.

"Why are you laughing, Hachiman? Did I say something funny?"

"No Saki, it's just you're cute when you are embarrassed so I couldn't stop myself."

Upon hearing the word "cute" she turned from a shade of pink into a deep red. Wow, she was almost as red as a tomato. I don't really like those but heck, if Saki was one I would certainly change my mind about them...

...well, not really. But now she looked really nervous for some reason. I stood up and placed a hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever, but that only served to turn redder than before. I asked if she was okay since she felt a bit hot, but she didn't say anything but nod.

After a moment of silence she then excused herself to return to her seat. I gave my thanks once more for the bento, I could hear her mumbling a few stuff while she rested her head on her forearms. I noticed that she occasionally peeked at me from time to time, once while she was looking at me our eyes met and she averted her gaze.

Was she that embarrassed when she gave me the bento? It's not like there were many people in the classroom to see it. There were some students here but none of them seemed to care about us so why would she be so embarrassed earlier?

I closed my eyes to think but I heard the door slide open and in came Yuigahama and Ebina. She noticed Saki's strange behavior and went to her friend and chatted with her. I saw her grinning at her friend, then turning her head towards me before smiling.

As much as I was curious to what they were talking about, whenever I see that grin from Ebina it gave me the chills.

I didn't notice that Yuigahama had returned inside the room, she was walking slowly to her desk when Miura noticed her. Her eyes were a little red so Miura quickly went to her side, I couldn't hear much of their conversation but I assumed she had asking what happened. When Yuigahama sat down Miura still continued to question her.

She acted like a worried mother when it came down to her friends. Yuigahama still didn't give an answer, and as Miura grew tired of asking her gaze quickly turned to me, which had changed into an angry glare. Her footsteps were easily heard as she stomped her way to me, it seemed that the start of my day would be very hot courtesy of the Fire Queen of Sobu.

I was mentally preparing myself for a confrontation, but when she was only four steps away from me the teacher came in and I was saved by the bell from her fiery wrath. She had no choice but to return to her seat as I gave off a sigh of relief, facing the front as the class started.

Holy shit! I've never been so happy to see my teacher come to class. I've newfound respect for her.

The day went by quickly as I was now preparing to have lunch, but first I had to text Caren-san that I would be late in joining her today. She replied that it's okay and fortunately she didn't ask me why was I going to be late. If ever she knew I would be talking to Isshiki, she would have quickly joined me to talk with the student council president. That would be troublesome since the two of them would most just start a fight with each other again.

I quickly put my phone away in my pocket and headed onto Saki to ask her to come with me in confronting Isshiki, hoping to find her in the student council room. Saki agreed to come with me, but before we could even leave the room I was already intercepted by Miura.

"Hikio, what did you do to Yui earlier!?" She snarled, clearly not interested in beating around the bush.

"We just talked and I asked her something, that's all."

"You just **talked**?! Then why was she like that earlier?! Her eyes were red and swollen when she entered the room!"

"If you want to know, maybe you should ask her directly instead of me, Miura."

"I already did, but she wouldn't answer me! You were the one with her earlier so tell me what you talked about!"

"Sorry Miura, but I have more important things to do right now. Besides, she's your friend. And real friends shouldn't be keeping secrets from each other, right?" Without looking back nor waiting for her answer I left.

"HIKIO! COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT! I'M NOT DONE TALKING TO YOU, HIKIO!"

Did she want me to apologize even though she didn't even know what happened? Not happening Miura, even if you make me. It was good that Saki wasn't there, she was waiting for me at the corner. Those two don't really get along well so who knows what could have happened.

When we arrived in front of the student council room I knocked on the door before going in. After opening it I saw Isshiki on her desk, it was evident that she was nervous to see me. I could imagine why as I went up to her.

"Can you come with me to the rooftop? I want to talk about what happened yesterday."

She was rather hesitant on what to answer but she nodded and followed us to the roof top anyway. Our walk was quite silent, save for the footsteps echoing through the staircases. Isshiki occasionally looked at me on our way to our destination but never said anything.

When we finally got there, we searched for a cool spot. After settling ourselves with Saki to my right and Isshiki across me, she started to talk.

"Senpai, I know I said and did some mean stuff yesterday, but can you first listen to me?"

I looked at her in disbelief. She had the nerve to bargain with me?

"No. I won't listen as I already know what you did yesterday."

"Senpai, p-please!"

"No! I've always had to listen to you, but this time YOU listen to ME. You have got to apologize to Caren-san for what you did to her yesterday. Where did you even get the idea that she stole me away from you? She didn't do that. For starters you don't own me, you never did. You treated me like shit even though I slaved away for the student council. Then you, Yuigahama and Yukino talk trash about me behind my back, like I was some worthless being you could practically throw away since I've outlived my usefulness, right?!"

Isshiki's expression was interesting right now. She couldn't say anything to me and it was like she was about to cry. Her shoulders trembled, and she never looked me in the eyes.

To think the usually high and mighty Student Council president was now as vulnerable as a newborn infant, feeling powerless and afraid...

I continued to talk to her while Saki just listened to us.

"Isshiki, I want you to go to her today, and apologize properly to Caren-san."

Her expression then changed after hearing that. She looked furious as our eyes met for the first time we stepped foot in this palce. She was slightly gritting her teeth as she answered.

"No, Senpai! I won't do it, I did nothing wrong at all!"

"You, did _nothing_ wrong? Isshiki, you pushed her aside to force your way in the infirmary and you said all those bad stuff about her. You still believe you're innocent? That you're not at fault?"

"S-she deserved all that Senpai! Because she stole you from us! And now you don't even consider us as friends anymore!" Her voice grew louder as she yelled, her emotions backing her up.

"Like I said, she didn't do that. I quit the service club because of my own personal reasons."

"So _we_ were the ones that did something bad, Senpai!? You're now on her side, protecting her!?"

"I'm not on her side, but from what I have heard from Yuigahama and Caren-san, I am sure _you_ were the one at fault."

"Y-you listened to their side, and yet you don't want to listen to mine!? That's so unfair Senpai!"

"What's not fair is you assuming that she stole me away from you guys, and that you said all those mean stuff about her! She didn't do anything bad to deserve that!"

Our voices were practically screaming now, Saki who just observed us was rather worried on what would happen if the two of us continued to talk like this. After what I said, there was a tense silence between us for a while, which I broke by saying:

"She didn't stole me away, Isshiki. I left because of how you and the others treated me, so just go to her and apologize and stop thinking like that. "

Isshiki stared at me while her clenched fists were trembling from anger. I was sure she was about to shout and explode at me.

But then it happened, everything was too fast and I was caught off-guard. I felt a sudden pain on my cheek as I stumbled on my knees.

The next thing I knew was I was looking up at Isshiki who was looking down at me. Saki quickly approached me and was clearly worried. My mind then realized that she had slapped me, she could no longer hold back her anger from what I said and she decided to vent it out by physical violence.

Saki helped me up to my feet as I wobbled, feeling a bit dizzy. She did hit me with all she had after all, the taste of blood slowly crept its way into my mouth.

Upon realizing what she did Isshiki immediately snapped out of her rage as she looked at me, at the swelling red mark on my face. She was shocked and terrified at her sudden actions and was about to say something when I cut her off.

"Well, I said what I needed to say. But honestly, I don't even care anymore. Just don't ever bother us from now on."

"Senpai w-wait! P-Please I'm sorry! I... I didn't mean to-"

Before she could continue what she was about to say, I looked at Saki and spoke.

"Saki, could you help me get to the clinic? We're done here."

Saki looked at her for a moment, her expression changed from the worried and caring nature to a very upset and angry one. Isshiki was taken aback by her glare. I thought she was about to charge at her that moment but she looked back at me and her expression quickly changed back to a caring one. She helped me walk as we headed down the stairs to go to the clinic, the stinging sensation in my cheek now intensifying as the swelling grew worse.

When we arrived at the infirmary, Caren-san was surprised to see my face's condition once she opened the door. Saki excused herself and quickly went somewhere, I just hope she didn't go after Isshiki because of what she had done to me.

After leaving me in Caren-san's care she gave me some painkillers and took out an ice pack from the fridge, wrapping it with a thin layer of white cloth before pressing it onto my cheeks gently to reduce the swelling. I felt the cold sensation and worked its wonder in numbing out the pain.

Caren-san was really worried based on how she looked at me. She resembled an elder sister taking care of her younger brother who got into a little accident.

"Hikigaya-kun, what happened to you?"

"..."

I didn't want to answer her knowing that if she found out it was Isshiki's doing then I'm going to have to stop her from rampaging like last time.

 _'Though I have to admit that I kind of liked hugging her because… n-no wait, get a grip Hachiman! Your adolescent mind is running wild again!'_

I took deep breaths to calm myself down and stop any lewd thoughts from entering my head. I was brought back to reality as Caren-san reapplied the ice to my swollen cheek, her eyes full of concern. I debated with myself for a moment if telling her would be the wisest decision, but I thought of what I told Miura and gave up on hiding it from her.

If I didn't tell her the truth, she would have just investigated on her own, and that might lead to a second round between her and Isshiki. I sighed, waiting to answer once she withdrew the ice pack from me.

"I went to Isshiki earlier, I wanted her to apologize to you but we had an argument… She raised her voice at me and she said she didn't do anything wrong, it got on my nerves so I defended you. Then when she couldn't take it anymore, she slapped me out of frustration..."

It was hard for me to speak because of my bruise, I reapplied the ice pack to remove the pain. I closed my eyes from the comfort I felt, but I suddenly heard a faint voice that scared me.

"That... brat...!"

I opened my eyes to see beside me Caren-san who was seething with anger. Her eyes looked so scary while her nails were digging into her palms as she turned her hands into fists at what she heard.

She suddenly stood up and quickly made her way to the door and was about to leave when it swung open, a tired and frustrated-looking Saki entering the room. Caren-san was surprised to see her.

"That bitch got away!" She snarled. Caren-san was looking at her as she asked.

"You went back to that girl Saki-chan?"

"Yeah, but when I went back to the rooftop, she had already left! I would have given her a piece of my mind if I saw her!"

"Well get in line Saki-chan, I have business with her first." Saki looked at Caren-san when she heard her say that and when she saw the look on her eyes she was shocked like me. Before the two of them combined forces and sought out Isshiki, I took their attention by coughing.

"Don't do anything stupid and just leave her be."

Caren-san walked to her desk and sat behind it, Saki went to the chair beside me and sat as well. It seemed Saki somehow cooled down based on her expression, but Caren-san still had that scary look in her eyes. She looked at me and asked me in a very serious tone.

"Why are you stopping me from getting even with that girl, Hikigaya-kun?" She was intimidating but I needed to stop her from doing something irrational. She was the school nurse, after all.

"Because if I didn't stop you, you would probably do something to get back at her and that could make you lose your job here. Or worse, your license."

"Hmm... Well that's a small price to pay Hikigaya-kun. Don't worry, they won't find her body... -Er I mean they won't know it was me who did it, okay." She looked at me and gave me her signature grin, but this time it was scaring me even more because of the words she said.

"Caren-san, y-you're just joking right?" Saki asked her as she looked rather troubled from hearing that from our resident nurse.

"Jokes are half meant Saki-chan, ehehehe." She giggled in a creepy and psychotic manner as her head swayed from left to right slowly.

Saki and I quickly put distance from Caren-san. I grew worried for Isshiki's safety, but more importantly ours. Upon seeing that we moved away from her she looked over to us. Then suddenly she grinned maniacally, she slowly rose from her seat and laughed as she opened her drawer and produced a knife.

She began walking slowly towards us with her back hunched a little, Saki and I were frozen in fear from what we were witnessing. We wanted to run but our feet wouldn't move. When she was now near us she reached over to me and held my shoulder firmly as she continued to laugh like a maniac. She glanced at her knife, her eyes shining from the gleam of it, she sadistically licked its blade and when she was done she looked back at me and said in a creepy tone.

"Here I come Hachi..." She suddenly stabbed me in my shoulder, I could feel the knife touch my skin as blood came out from the wound. I must have been in shock already because I couldn't feel the pain on my shoulder as the crazed nurse still laughed in front of me.

When she was done laughing she slowly neared her lips to my ears as she whispered.

"Got you Ha-chi-man~" She stuck her tongue out. "You should have seen the looks on your faces!"

Upon hearing that both Saki and I stumbled to the floor as Caren-san laughed her ass off. My heart was beating like crazy from her act earlier, I look over to Saki and saw she was laughing erratically, pale as a ghost. Well, we were both scared shitless so her reaction was to be expected.

Caren-san on the other hand was tossing and turning, holding onto her stomach as she laughed at us. She showed us that the knife and the blood were fake and that the blood on my shoulder is kind of like disappearing ink. I decided to snap Saki out of her daze by grabbing on to both of her shoulders and shaking her.

"Hachiman to Saki, Hachiman to Saki! Please come back, this crazy nurse really got us."

Saki's eyes were lifeless as she just stared blankly in front of her, I could see her soul leaving from her mouth. After a while Saki finally snapped back to her senses and looked around.

"Ha-Ha-Hachiman?"

We both looked at the laughing nurse in front of us, to be honest I wanted to slightly hit her now on the head because she scared us like that. But we had lost almost all our energy from earlier and we just sighed and smiled at each other.

I let go of Saki as we joined her in laughing at her antics. After that we sat back on our chairs as all of us had forgotten the mood earlier courtesy of Caren-sans acting. We had all calmed down, but Caren-san came over to where I was seated and pinched my other cheek as she looked quite serious.

"You know Hachi, you're lucky I like you this much. If not, I would have done something to that girl. She may have never shown her face around you if I had my way with her."

Upon hearing those words my face turns into a shade of red. I looked away from her as I asked.

"Don't say things like that Caren-san. Besides, what's there to like about me anyway? I'm not like Hayama who is handsome, athletic and very popular. I'm anti-social, labeled as a creep and I am popular... just not in a good way."

Caren-san removed her hand from my cheek as she went back to her desk and thought of an answer.

"Well, for starters you show people who you really are, you don't have a facade and that made me extremely interested in you." She said while giving me a warm smile.

I looked over to Saki who was rather quiet, I wanted to know her opinion as well.

"How about you Saki? Can you tell me some of the good characteristics that you saw in me?"

"What Caren-san said was true, you are also good in dealing with kids and I see that you value and take care of your younger sister very much, so for me those are your good points."

I felt kind of happy that they saw those in me, and I didn't notice that I was slightly blushing from their compliments.

"Well that Hayama fellow is more handsome and athletic than you but for me you are more genuine than him, and that gives you a big bonus from this Oneechan, Hachi." After saying that she left her seat and headed over to sit beside me, resting her head on my shoulder that made me blush even more.

Saki's face became flushed from seeing the lack of space between us. Caren-san was snapped out of her own world as she looked at Saki's reactions and asked her.

"Want to join us Saki-chan?"

"W-W-What do you m-mean j-j-join you?"

"I mean you can hold the ice pack for Hachi while I rest my head on his shoulders. Do you not want to Saki-chan?"

"..."

She thought about it for a second then went over to my other side, she took the ice pack from me and gently placed it against my swollen cheek. Her blushing expression was changed back to that of an elder sister taking care of her younger brother.

"Thanks Saki, and thank you as well, Caren-san."

"It was nothing Hachi, I was just telling you the truth right, Saki-chan?"

"She is right Hachiman, you should never think of yourself badly like that."

They were right. I should believe more in myself. I am slowly changing, so I should try not to think negatively like that.

Then my body remembered a very important thing that we had forgotten earlier, Saki's and my stomach growled loudly. The nurse looked at the two of us and chuckled.

"You two haven't eaten anything yet, right?" We both nodded as I checked my phone. There were still fifteen minutes left in our break.

"Then both of you can eat here, here Hachi have some Maxx Coffee and Saki-chan what do you like for a drink? I have some coffee here but I also have some orange, apple and grape juice."

"I'll have some apple juice then."

We spent the rest of the time eating and Caren-san and Saki laughed at me when I had a hard time with my injury. My swollen cheek made it rather hard for me to chew properly. When it was the end of lunch, Caren-san called out to me before we left the room.

"Hachi, I think you better stay here until your cheek is no longer swollen like that. And don't worry, I'll give you an excuse slip when you go back to your room. Show it to your teacher so they know why you returned late okay."

"It's okay Caren-san, it doesn't sting that much anymore anyway." Saki looked at me after I said that.

"I think you should do as she says Hachiman, what will your little sister say when she sees you like that? Besides, she's the nurse."

Saki was right. Komachi would probably worry more about me, and she won't stop until I tell her what had happened to me. Saki excused herself from us as I returned inside. She gave me another ice pack for my cheek since that one earlier had melted already. I spent half an hour with her until my cheeks were fine.

Before I left for class she gave me some painkillers and told me not to come after class so that I could rest up early instead. I gave my thanks before leaving and returned to my classroom.

I went to the teacher and showed him the excuse slip that Caren-san gave me, he accepted it and let me return to my seat at the back. When I made my way back to my seat I saw Yuigahama looking at me. I ignored it and sat down, when she noticed that one of my cheeks were slightly swollen it kind of surprised her.

I focused on the lesson and ignored her until sometime later I felt that she wasn't looking at me anymore. Just to check I took a peek at her and sure enough, she wasn't looking anymore. She was now taking down some notes about the lesson.

The day flew by fast and as always I was currently fixing my stuff to go home when Saki approached me.

"Will you be going to Caren-san today Hachiman?"

"No, she said I should go home early and rest up. Are you going to pick up Keika from her school?"

"Yes I am , why do you ask?"

"Well I'm not used to going home this early... So can I come along with you?"

"It's okay with me, and I think Keika will love it when she sees you again."

We leftt our school as we proceeded to head over to get Keika. As soon as we entered her nursery we were greeted by the teacher who was playing with all of the kids. Saki looked around for Keika as I waited for them near the entrance. when Saki found her younger sister, Keika hugged her and she quickly got her things to leave. But before the three of us left the female teacher came to us and said.

"Bye Keika-chan. Why, hello there Saki-san, is that your boyfriend with you over there? He is quite handsome, if I may say." She winked at me after saying that and Saki blushed as she explained it to her.

"No i-i-i-it's not that like that! H-H-Hachiman is just my friend!"

"Ohhhhhh okay... So he is not your boyfriend _yet_ , is that it Saki-san?"

Before Saki could answer back the female teacher was pulled away by some of the hyperactive students she had and she was left blushing. When Keika saw me she quickly came over to me.

"Why is Ha-chan with Sa-chan?"

"Well... I want to thank you for the delicious bento you and your sister gave me so..." I lifted her up and lt her ride on my shoulders again. She was very happy with it, and as we were walking home we passed by an elderly couple along the street.

"Look at the cute couple dear, they're so young and it's so sweet how the boy carries their child on his shoulders like that. Remember when I did that to one of our children when we were young?" The two giggled amongst themselves.

Did I hear that right? They said we looked cute as a couple? A vision appeared in my head, a certain scenario. I had just arrived home tired from work.

"Dear, I'm home!" I called out to let her know I was here.

"Welcome home Hachiman!" I heard my wife answer back out to me, the girl named Saki emerging from the kitchen... and donning only an apron! She had a more matured look now and I can clearly see the curves of her body behind what she was wearing. I suddenly dropped my suitcase on the floor as Saki rushed to my side.

"What's the matter Hachiman, is something wrong?"

"Saki, why are dressed you like _that_!?"I looked to the side to avoid ogling her body. Saki appeared confused as she tells me.

"What do you mean like _that_? I'm just wearing an apron on top of my clothes." She twirled around and I saw she was wearing a rather fit tank top and short shorts. It really looked like a naked apron because of how it concealed her clothes when looking from the front.

I was brought back to reality when Keika patted my head.

"Are Ha-chan and Sa-chan dating? Then, will Ha-chan marry Sa-chan? Because if you get married, you will always come to our house and play with me!" She shouted with glee as she moved around on my shoulders.

"Keika! What are you saying!? S-Sorry Hachiman, my little sister is..." Her voice trailed off as she blushed.

"It's okay. We are not dating Keika, but I promise to play with you whenever I can. Is that okay?"

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Yehey! Sa-chan! Ha-chan said that he will come again and play with me!"

Saki and I didn't talk much on the way to their house but Keika filled our travel with her stories. She told us on how her day at the nursery went and she asked us how ours was. We also told her that we had a busy day and by the time we were in front of their house, Keika was a little bit tired from the trip. Once her feet touched the ground. She quickly left us as she dashed into the house.

"Keika! You haven't given your thanks to Hachiman yet! And don't run inside the house, you'll trip yourself!" She yelled, but it was too late as the girl had already gone inside. "Sorry about that, and thanks again for spoiling Keika. I appreciate it."

"It's alright, it's no big deal. Well then, you better get inside before Keika hurts herself. See you tomorrow, Saki."

"Okay, be careful on your way home." I heard the door to their house close shut behind me.

I continued to walk on home as I gently touched my cheeks. It didn't hurt anymore, but it was still noticeable if you looked at it close enough. I hope Komachi wouldn't ask too much about this as it would be troublesome if she knew what the cause of this was.

 **AN**

 **Sorry for the late upload! This month was kind of busy at work so I wasn't that able to focus here.**

 **So I kind of made it long to make it up to those who are waiting for an update and here it is hope you like it.**

 **I will finish this don't worry and were are not yet at the middle point of this story so expect many more chapters from me.**

 **Thank you to Vhan N. Chrome for beta-reading this and to thatguywhowrote for fixing the paragraphs and the dialogue changes you made you both are awesome!**

 **I haven't forgotten about the resident Ice/flat queen and her psychopathic Oneesan, rest assured they will again make their appearance here.**

 **As always thank you for the follows/favorites and leave some reviews if you like.**


	6. Chapter 6

I loved the simplicity of a weekend. It's the perfect in-between, a moment free of obligations. Because even if you did absolutely nothing today, there was always tomorrow, always another half of the weekend to catch up, strive and prepare for the coming craziness.

We all usually longed for the weekend, especially when engaged on tiresome activities during the week. The weekend was always the perfect opportunity to get some quality rest following a hectic week from either school or work. Some people chose to spend time indoors with friends (like me, though I only had Komachi and my family) whereas others decided to engage in outdoor activities in order to get the best out of the free time. There were many involving and entertaining things that could be done on the weekends, and people had different tastes that they considered as "fun-to-do."

Usually I spent my weekends at my house, specifically in my room where I can sleep in or play Vita-chan. But after the incident at my former club, I was now usually helping Caren-san over the weekends.

It was a community clinic and she mentioned that she had been volunteering to work there for five years. After Caren-san had introduced me to her colleagues, she then let me observe her as she went about her work.

It was mostly paperwork, along with what she needed during a check-up. There was nothing worthwhile or interesting that happened on the first day, but I liked that place. The environment was relaxing and the other people were nice.

Earlier Caren-san was treating a kid with a few cuts on her knee, when she applied some alcohol to disinfect the wound she began to cry a lot. She tried to calm her down by talking to her, but the kid wasn't listening to her so the mother of the child even apologized at her daughter's behaviour.

"Hey, you're a brave little girl, aren't you?" I knelt down beside her as she nodded her head at me. "If so, then you should do your best not to cry. I understand it hurts, but look at your mom. She's very worried about you right now."

As the girl glanced at her mother, she turned back to me.

"But Onii-chan, it hurts a lot! I don't want to be hurt anymore." She sobbed a bit more, but I patted her head.

"Well, if you don't go through this, your wounds won't be cleaned properly, and that could get you sick even more. Not only will Mom be more worried, you may be in more pain then."

"O-okay, but can you hold my hand? It really hurts, but I think I can endure it if I did."

Her pleading eyes wet with fresh tears triggered my Onii-chan instincts. How could I ever say no to that face?

I held my hand out to her and she gently squeezed it as Caren-san resumed on treating her knee. Every time the cotton swab would dab on her cuts she would wince, sometimes let out a soft whimper, but I could tell from her grip that she was fighting and she no longer bawled her eyes out.

After her treatment her mother thanked me for being calm and patient with her daughter. I told her it wasn't that big of a deal as she was just afraid of getting hurt.

No one in the world ever wanted to be hurt, after all.

Still the lady was persistent and kept bowing to thank me. I didn't really know how to react since I wasn't used to receiving gratitude, so I just said that she was more than welcome. Before they left the little girl tugged at my shirt, her eyes told me that she had something to say so I leaned down towards her.

"Thank you for giving me courage, Onii-chan!"

"Nonsense. I never did anything, you became brave on your own. All you needed was a push."

"Okay, but still thank you!" She then gave me a big warm hug, despite her arms being short as they were. Caren-san smiled as she called over the next patient to the room. Time passed by rather quickly and soon I hadn't notice that we already had to call it a day.

"So, Hachi is good in handling children. You really can't judge someone by their looks, huh?"

"Yeah, I am good with them. Strangely enough they don't find me as creepy as other people do."

"Hachi, if some people find you creepy then don't bother wasting your time on them. They don't know you yet they judge you by your physical appearance? I would bet if they experienced the same things you did then they would break. Never put yourself below people like that." She said in a serious tone.

"I know Caren-san, I'm slowly changing myself but I guess old habits really die hard."

"And I too know you're trying really hard to improve yourself. But you have to do something about that thinking of yours. Don't ever let people like those drag you down, you are way better than them from what I've seen these past few days. You are not like them, you show people who you really are, unlike those who put on different faces."

"Okay, thanks. I guess I'm just tired from the work here…"

It was Sunday and we had just finished our time at the clinic, Caren-san and I were currently walking at the mall to meet up with my little sister Komachi. We were at the bookstore inside one of the malls in Chiba, she was standing in line to pay for some books while I was looking at those displayed in front when my phone began vibrating.

It was a message from Komachi, saying she was almost there and we should all meet up at the court. Since it was almost dinner time I replied back my confirmation to her and waited for my friend to pay for her items.

As I stood outside I noticed someone familiar from a distance, her golden curls stood out like a sore thumb among the crowd. There was no mistaking it, it was Sobu High's Fire Queen Miura Yumiko. She was with her friends and it seemed like they were on their way home with all the bags they had in their hands.

She was busily checking her phone as she walked towards my direction, and I didn't want to have to deal with her once she started asking why Yuigahama was crying the other day. I used my skill [Stealth Hikki] before to avoid her wrath at school, and I planned to do the same to escape detection. But as I passed by I heard someone utter a certain name.

"Hikio..."

My skill had failed me! Miura's tracking skills were way too high for me to remain undetected in such close proximity. I slowly turned around to face Miura, whom was standing in front of me and she was already looking pissed.

"H-hello there Miura, what are you doing here?" I asked her awkwardly.

"I was just with Hayato and the others, now I'm on my way home when I saw something disgusting."

"Okay, insults aside do you want to talk about something?"

"Hikio, I know you've been avoiding me, but you will tell me now why Yui was like that. And don't you think I will stop asking until I know, so tell me what you two talked about!"

I really didn't want to answer her right now, and today's mood was going swell. I don't want to have it to end like this, so I answered her.

"You know Miura, you don't seem to get it. If Yuigahama doesn't want to talk about it then I won't talk about it as well. Besides, what does it have to do with you?"

"Because you made Yui cry!" She almost shouted at me as she tried to supress her anger.

"Wow. That is gold coming from you. With how you acted like a bitch towards her before when she wanted to have lunch with Yukinoshita, now you're like that to her?" I chuckled a bit. "As nice of a friend you are Miura, I'm NOT telling you anything." I held my ground before the Fire Queen, looking her straight in the eyes.

Before she could answer back, Caren-san had emerged from the store with a paper bag in hand.

"Sorry for being late Hachi, the counter had some problems with the register. So, where were we meeting your little sister?"

"She said she was almost here and that we should meet at the food court, so let's go."

I turned around and left the Fire Queen there as the two of us headed for our destination. While walking, Caren-san looked back to where Miura was and asked.

"Hey, who was that girl earlier? And why did she look like she was about to rip someone apart?"

"She is Miura Yumiko, one of Yuigahama's friend. She wanted to ask me why Yuigahama was like that last Thursday."

"Why, what happened to Yui-chan?"

I was rather hesitant at first to answer her, but I still did.

"I asked her on what happened when you and Isshiki were almost about to fight, she told me her side of the story and after that she thought we could be friends again. I said that's not what I had in mind, and that I only asked her about her side, nothing more." Caren-san looked at me with a mix of doubt concern.

"Are you sure that's all?"

"That's... not all, but can I tell you all about it some other time? I don't want to end my day discussing that topic."

"Sure, but tell me the details tomorrow lunch, okay?"

I nodded hesitantly since I had to go over that memory, but I had no choice since I had agreed to it. Caren-san might get upset at me on what she'd hear, but it can't be helped.

After a few minutes of walking we arrived at the food court, I quickly spotted Komachi and we approached her. She sees us as well and closes the distance by heading towards us.

"Komachi, meet Caren-san. Caren-san, meet Komachi." My little sister face-palmed and shook her head.

"Onii-chan, just what kind of introduction was that?"

"What? I'm hungry. Besides, if you want to talk then we need to find some seats first. As I promised, I will tell you the things you want."

"Hello there, I'm Hikigaya Komachi, regrettably I am his little sister. By the way, thank you for always looking out for my brother." She bowed. I let her comment slide because I was starving and I was busy looking for a vacant table for us three.

"Nice to meet you too, Komachi-chan, I'm Hortensia Caren, Sobu's school nurse and your brother's..." She paused and thought for a while.

"Hmm... Hey Hachi, tell me. What am I to you?"

I mentally face-palmed as I saw her san looking at me with that mischievous smile of hers. Komachi was obviously confused on why she said that, this nurse really couldn't live without stirring up mischief for one day.

"Komachi, whatever she says, always take it with a grain of salt, okay? She's just my "friend" and "club adviser," that's all." I emphasized the words to make sure I cleared up any misunderstanding this nurse was trying to make.

"How mean! I'm just your friend and adviser? It really hurts Hachi..." She feigned hurting and pouted. "Even though you were my first..."

My eyes widened at what she said and as I looked over to Komachi, she was glaring at me like I had done something unforgivable! I was at least somewhat prepared for such a moment and spared no time.

"Yes Komachi, I was her first..."

My little sister's eyes nearly fell out their sockets from what I said and her jaw almost hit the floor. But I wasn't finished yet so I continued on.

"I am her first "friend" at school and I really enjoy her company."

Upon hearing that Caren-san's face went red and she had a cute pout. Hehe, serves you right, you naughty nurse. You think you're the only one who is good at teasing? I'm slowly learning from your constant antics so be careful on what you say from now on. Even if my face had a deadpan look, in my head I had a smug smile on.

I had almost forgotten we were with my cutest little sister in the world when Komachi sighed in relief.

"Oniichan, don't do that! I seriously thought I was about to be an aunt, I'm not yet prepared for that."

After chuckling at my little sister's reaction we went to a free table that was big enough for the three of us to seat at one side. I was in the middle with Komachi to my right and Caren-san on the left. I was the first to buy my food so I excused myself from the two, looking back at them I could see that they were talking with each other, it seemed the two were getting along well.

While searching for what to eat a certain stall caught my interest, their menu had a sizzling plate with lots of rice and the steak was really big! I checked the price and luckily it was within the range of what I could afford. It was perfect as I was really hungry at the moment so I quickly ordered one and in only a few minutes I already got my order.

Man, I was not disappointed as I saw how juicy the steak was on my plate, its aroma was enough to make my mouth water. If I were all alone, I would have gobbled it all up once I got back to our table.

"I see you two are hitting it off rather well." I greeted as I returned, setting my food down on. "You can buy your food now, I'll watch over your things while you're away."

As Caren-san laid her eyes on what I bought her eyes gleamed with delight.

"Hachi, that looks so delicious! I think I'll have that as well."

"Where did you buy it Onii-chan? I'll have that too."

I pointed out the food stall from where I got my food, before Komachi could stand up however she was stopped.

"You can stay here and look after your brother to see if he'll start eating before us. I'll take care of ours, my treat."

"Oh! Thank you for the offer but there's no need, I have enough money on me too. Besides, we just met Nee-chan."

"Don't worry, just think of it as a gift from me, so just sit back and chat a bit with your Onii-chan, okay?"

"O-okay, thank you."

As Caren-san came out of earshot, Komachi scooted closer to me and whispered something in my ear.

"Oniichan, I know Nee-chan is a good person, but I want you to be careful around her, okay?"

I kind of understand what she meant by being careful, they had just met and she hasn't fully gotten a grasp on how Caren-san thinks. Despite the things this nurse had done, I knew she meant no harm to me...

...well, when she lunged at and almost clawed Isshiki was a completely different matter.

"Don't worry, she can be a bit mischievous but I believe she won't do anything bad. Trust me Komachi, you'll get along with her." I patted her head, getting a smile from the best little sister in the world.

"Okay, Oniichan. I'll take your word for it."

A few minutes later Caren-san finally returned with the meals for the two, we wasted no time and dug in after giving grace. I immediately cut the steak into bite-size pieces and placed one in my mouth.

The steak was absolutely divine! It was really juicy so I took my time to enjoy every single moment, slowly chewing it to get all the flavor out. As I was busily eating I didn't notice that something incredible was happening beside me.

I was disturbed by Komachi as she poked my cheek and pointed towards Caren-san, shocked to find two-thirds of her rice was already gone and only half of her steak was left. She continued to eat at her own pace for a while before she noticed us staring at her.

"Wafsh sfa maffer Hachfi, Komachfi-chfan? Ish tere shumting on my feysh?" She asked with a mouthful of food, looking utterly confused.

"W-well... we just noticed that you eat very fast, and we just couldn't stop ourselves from watching."

"Nee-chan, do you always eat like that? You're quite slim." Komachi asked.

"I always eat fast, I think it's just in our genes I guess? My mother has been the same as me." She said after finally swallowing her food.

"So you and your mother have fast metabolisms, I'm kind of jealous of that. Whenever I eat this much, I tend to gain weight easily. Mou..."

I continued eating my meal, feeling kind of contented that I found something interesting about this nurse. To think she was a glutton...

We would surely enjoy it if we were to dine at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Komachi was interested in knowing what kind of person Caren-san as they had a nice chat, so I tuned them out of my mind and ate in silence.

After finishing our meals I told Komachi what happened last week and she listened attentively to me, Caren-san also pitched in and told her part of the story. After telling the whole story she was scratching her head appearing to be perplexed.

"So that's what happened. Oniichan, I'm not exactly mad at you, but... I'm a little upset about you not telling me this sooner. And Nee-chan, thank you for being there for my brother.' She bowed in gratitude. "That aside, isn't there something you forgot to tell me, Onii-chan?"

"I'm sorry Komachi, for not telling you sooner. But don't worry about me, I'm okay now."

"Knowing you, if you say you are then I won't bother asking anymore. But couldn't you at least still try to be friends with Yui-chan and Yukino-chan?"

"Sorry, but I can't be friends with them again." Komachi pouted at my response, as expected. "We were never friends from the start, they've said it themselves. But I have to ask, why did you ask me to reconcile with Yuigahama and Yukinoshita only?" I had asked as she didn't include Isshiki in the list.

"Those two passes for me, but that kouhai of yours smells like trouble..."

Maybe it's because she didn't like how Isshiki carried herself around me, or maybe because they were similar in being sly or in some other way. As the saying goes, opposites attract, likes repel.

"I'm surprised you took that calmly, Komachi-chan." Caren-san commented.

"Hmm I did thought that something big happened to cause my brother to change himself for the better, but I never had any idea it was something like this. But Onii-chan I'm still upset at you for not telling me this sooner, and as punishment..." She glared at me, and from that alone I knew she meant business. I was nervous on what she had in store for me, what dark, painful retribution she had pla-

"You have to cook breakfast and dinner for a month for Komachi! Is that clear?"

"...o-okay? I'm fine with that." I sighed in relief, still caught a bit in disbelief at how light it was.

"But Oniichan, please don't sever your ties with Yukino-chan and Yui-chan! Please, when they need help, help them out. If you can't do that for them or for yourself, then do it for me..."

Even if my heart were as cold as ice and hard as stone, her pleading eyes touched and warmed it up. If it was only as far as helping them out then I can at least do that, it doesn't me I had to befriend them again anyway.

"Alright, you win. But know that I'm doing this entirely for your sake and none for them, and if I were busy then I can't help them out that way."

"I'm fine with that, thank you Oniichan! Deep inside, I know you'll still try your best." Her little fang peeked out as she smiled at me.

On the way home the three of us chatted, Komachi also exchanged numbers with Caren-san so she could keep in touch with her more easily from now on. Our first stop was the nurse's place because it was the closest, we escorted her up to the door of her apartment.

As we arrived at her doorstep she gave me a goodbye kiss on the cheek and rushed inside without another word. Komachi laughed at me, teasing me on my blushing face.

And here I thought I had one on her from what I said at the mall... she still had the last laugh for today. That woman really had a knack for teasing me in front of others.

We then went on our way home, and as we walked Komachi struck up a conversation.

"I kind of like Nee-chan, she seems nice and I like how she has a certain way with you, hehe."

"I know what you mean, she does that to me to no end, but she means well and I do trust her."

"I can trust her too if you do, so please keep your promise with me okay?"

I nodded to her, reminding myself I would do it for her and not them... Speaking of those two, I knew Isshiki and Yuigahama would certainly try to apologize after that day, but Yukinoshita hadn't done anything like that.

Was she still frozen in time since then? If yes, then her title as the "Ice Queen of Sobu" really did fit her. She always had a cold personality too, maybe that's why I didn't see her do something like those two did. Well I'm sure before the year ends she'd make her move, but it's far too late to ask for something like forgiveness from me.

We arrived home and bid goodnight before heading to our respective rooms, I changed my clothes and got in my bed. I wouldn't be jogging tomorrow since I was tired from today, and no sooner did I find myself drifting asleep.

 **-The next day-**

The day had just started for me and it's going great...

Just. Great.

Sigh.

I was currently in the classroom, I had decided to come in early to class today for no other reason than to sleep at my desk, but as I was going there my trusted bike was injured! The chains on it broke so I had to walk half the way to school. Walking was fine, but I was still a bit tired from yesterday and I also had my bike by my side, towing it with me.

Reaching my destination I parked it at the bike racks in the meantime and headed to the classroom, there were only a few students so it wasn't as noisy. I immediately went towards my seat and used my arms as my pillow.

After a few minutes I stirred from the noise, seeing that there were now more students present. I sat up straight and rubbed my eyes, then I felt someone's eyes staring at me. Looking around I found my answer: Miura Yumiko, Sobu High's Fire Queen.

I thought it was Yuigahama, if so then that would have been an easier person to deal with. She kept glaring even when our eyes met and it was starting to get on my nerves. I decided to ignore her as Hiratsuka-sensei entered the room, but throughout the class I could still feel her staring daggers into me.

The day went by as usual, the only thing constant was the blonde girl eyeing me angrily. I knew it was about yesterday's talk, how she had wanted to talk about what happened between me and Yuigahama but I left her without anything said.

I wasn't to blame if her friend didn't want to impart her anything about our talk, Miura isn't my friend either so why should be the one to enlighten her on the matter? Besides she would have made a scene at the mall if she began yelling, and I would have kept Komachi waiting if I were to take the bait.

Oh, and did I ever mention that I don't like her guts? Go die in a flame, you she-riajuu.

Lunch break has just started as the bell rang throughout campus. I wanted to eat with Caren-san in peace at the moment, and Saki was still at her seat. Maybe I could invite her to have lunch with us.

Before I could make my way to her, the sounds of footsteps heavier than normal resounded, growing louder as the person drew closer to where I was.

And there before me was a fuming Miura Yumiko, all that pent-up rage seething underneath that make-up-filled face of hers.

Miura used Mean look!

Hachiman can't escape now!

Hachiman used Stealth Hikki, but it failed!

I gave up on ignoring her and asked away.

"What do you want with me, Miura?" I said, annoyance in my tone despite the deadpan face.

"You WILL tell me what you and Yui talked about, and you will tell me NOW Hikio!"

Bah, her attitude was really getting on my nerves. The hell is she even expecting anything from me, she didn't even get my name right...

"Can't it wait until the end of class? I promise to talk to you later." But before I could leave her and go to Saki she grabbed my sleeve and pulled me back in front of her.

"No! I won't let you get away and you will tell me now!"

All that's left of the class were now looking at us, the good atmosphere was replaced with a tense one. Yuigahama went to Miura's side as she was worried about what was about to happen.

"U-u-umm... N-nee Yumiko, please calm down. What do you want from Hik- I-I mean, Hikigaya-kun..."

"Relax Yui. Hikio and I are just going to have a little talk, right?" She answered back and started dragging me off towards the door. I tried to get my sleeve off from her grip but she had a tight hold and that fabric might get stretched.

"You will tell me everything you and Yui talked about that day." She demanded right before we could pass the door. "And you will not leave a single detail out, is that understood?"

That wasn't even a question, it was more of a command. My patience was wearing thin right now, I already said that I will told her we'd talk later but she wouldn't budge. I just wanted to relax and eat lunch with Saki and Caren-san...

But no, you had to ruin my day, didn't you? And now I may not even have enough time to eat, thanks to you.

I yanked my arm from her grip forcefully, shocking Miura as she was left off-balanced.

"You're not getting away this time Hikio!" She reached to grab me by the sleeve again but not this time. I slammed my hand into the wall and it made a loud sound that echoed in the classroom. Everyone fell went silent in an instant and looked at our direction as they wondered what was going on between me and Miura. Saki was worried as she watched from her place while Miura's clique were visibly shaken from what I did.

And like the damn cliché of a knight in shining armor riding his faithful steed, Hayama quickly rushed to the scene for intervention.

"Now, now, let's be calm and not do anything rash, you two." His strained smiled an attempt to diffuse the situation, but that just fuelled my anger even more. Even Tobe joined the fray.

"Yumiko and Hikitani-kun, can you guys like, chill and just talk this out calmly?"

Why thank youTobe for that wonderful suggestion.

Right, I forgot about this big doofus... He usually couldn't read the mood and like Miura, couldn't say my name right either. Sorry Hayama, but I should teach these two a lesson now that my remaining conscience was shattered.

"Tobe..." I muttered his name in a low, intimidating manner. He then noticed my mood of all times and flinched upon seeing how I looked at him.

"Y-yeah, Hi-hi... Hi-kitani-kun?" He stuttered.

I gave him one hell of a menacing glare as I was really pissed off, and upon seeing my expression the four members of the clique distanced themselves from me.

"Hey, can you tell me what my name is?" I asked as I stared back at Miura and Tobe. The two were rather confused by the sudden question, but they remained silent as they stared back with fear in their eyes.

I waited for an answer, if they ever gave me a wrong name then let's just say that they'd regret pissing me off so much. And if Hayama tried to be a hero then he'd be joining them as well. They still haven't answered me so I sat down on the nearest desk and asked them again, as nicely as my current mood would let me.

"Tobe. Miura." I gritted my teeth at their names, cursing under my breath.

"Tell me: what's my name?"

AN

 **Sorry for the wait I was addicted to Dark Souls 3 and work was quite hectic but here it is the latest chapter.**

 **Let me clear out a few misunderstandings from the last chapter, I said that I did not erase Yukino and Haruno they will appear again but not in this chapter. They will appear in the future chapters ones once I think of an ideal situation for them.**

 **I will answer all the reviews from the last and latest chapter tomorrow as I just wanted to upload this.**

 **As always thank you for those who followed and favorited this**

 **Thank you to thatguywhowrote for beta reading this and if you're a Yui fan check out his works.**

 **Leave some reviews and I'll see you on the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone has been angry and knows what anger was. Anger can vary widely from mild irritation to intense fury and could be sparked by a variety of things such as specific people, events, memories, or personal problems.

Anger was a natural and potentially productive emotion, however it could get out of control and become destructive and problematic.

So why do we get angry? People get angry when their expectations were not met - whether those were about the future, themselves or about others. We revert to illusions of control, unrealistically expecting all people to behave and all situations to turn out as we thought they should. Anger over these unmet expectations often leads us to blame others and shift aggression towards them.

It has been exactly five minutes since I asked Tobe and Miura to answer my question and in that time they just stood still and looked at me nervously. I was getting slightly impatient as I waited for them to speak, I thought to myself that this was getting me nowhere so I broke the silence.

"Can you two just answer my question already? I don't want to spend my time without eating lunch, so Tobe you first." I said as my eyes went to Tobe. He slightly flinched upon seeing that I was looking at him.

"Hikitani- I-I mean, Hikigaya-kun... Your name is Hikigaya Hachiman... I just call you Hikitani because I thought we were bros and I just went along on how Yumiko calls you Hikio..." He answered me, obviously scared of the situation he was in.

'He just went along with how Miura called me?' Internally I was scratching my head and I wanted to choke the life out of Tobe right about now, but I held back my urges to do so.

I then looked over to Miura. "Your turn, Miura. Now, can you make it quick? I still want to have my lunch, if you don't mind."

Miura seemed to regain a bit of her confidence but I could see that she was slightly scared when I looked at her. Maybe it was because she always had her way and no one in their right mind answered back to her like I did. Or maybe she was just being creeped out by my rotten stare...

I looked over to where Saki was and she was clearly worried about me so as I was waiting for Miura to answer me, I pulled out my phone and texted her to not worry about me and go on ahead to Caren-san.

She noticed that her phone vibrated and found my text, to which she replied back with an "okay." She looked rather hesitant to leave at first, but I smiled at her to let her know I got this.

After some time as Saki had just left the room, Miura finally decided to answer me.

"W-well, duh! I know what your real name is! I just call you Hikio because it's easier for me."

Was my name really that much work to say properly? Was "Hikigaya Hachiman" that hard? Or was I so insignificant to them that they decided to throw whatever labels they liked at me?

'These two were really pissing me off with their reasons...'

As I calmed myself down by breathing slowly, I was about to say something when Hayama stepped in.

"Now, now. Let's not make a scene here. Fighting over not getting Hikigaya-kun's name right is but a trivial matter, so why don't we just apologize and shake hands?"

As per usual, he showed his "good" side and tried to settle things peacefully.

...wait a minute.

Hayama called me by my name, so he can say my name correctly WHILE THESE TWO CAN'T? This irritated me even further, and it just so happened that their knight in shining armor gave me a nice idea... Sorry Hayama, but I'll be using that "good' side of yours to teach these two a lesson.

"Hayama, if you don't mind, can I ask you a question?"

"Okay Hikigaya-kun, what is it?"

"How would you feel if people started calling you nicknames when you aren't even close with them?"

"Well to be honest... It'd be really awkward to talk with them because I don't know them that much, and we aren't even friends or that familiar for them to give me nicknames. It would be a really strange experience for me if a person I'm not close with does something like that."

I smiled as I looked over to Tobe and Miura.

"Both of you heard him loud and clear, right?"

Tobe was clearly nervous and Miura was slightly shocked at what Hayama had said.

"But Hikitani... " I glared at Tobe and he instantly knew what was wrong.

"I mean... Hikigaya-kun, I thought we were bros? I know we don't talk that much but you helped me out with my request back then during the trip to Kyoto."

I scratched my head and sighed.

"Tobe I only did that because I was in the service club back then, and it was our job to help you with your request. We are neither close nor friends, so stop calling me by that name." I placed heavy emphasis on the words "close" and "friends" part so he'd know what I meant.

"Sorry about that Hikigaya-kun... I should have known better to assume things..." With his head low in dejection, Tobe turned around and silently walked out of the room.

'One down, one more to go,' I thought to myself as I looked over to Miura whom was about to say something.

"W-why should I apologize to you?! I didn't do anything wrong! If I wanted to call you Hikio, I will call you Hikio!" She said, keeping her stand. So she still had an attitude, huh? I think I should finish this up so I could still eat my lunch.

"Miura... Do you call Hayama by a nickname?"

She looked rather perplexed but answered.

"No, I call him Hayato. I call him by his first name since we're that close. What is it to you anyway?"

"But you call me "Hikio," right? We're barely friends yet you gave me a nickname, meanwhile you are close with Hayama but he doesn't have one? That sounds rather strange, don't you think?"

"Huh? What's your point, spit it out!"

I grinned to myself before I delivered the final blow.

"Do you have a secret crush on me? Don't tell me that's the case, playing favorite isn't a good thing, y'know."

Upon hearing that Miura's face went red as she stood shocked and embarrassed. Giggles leaked from the rest of the class upon seeing her reaction.

"T-the hell Hikio! Why would I like a creep like you?! What are you getting at?!" She was now yelling.

I mentally face-palmed myself, she may be beautiful but she lacked some common sense...

"Hayama, can you please answer another question again?" He nodded to me so I continued.

"Will you give a person you aren't close with nicknames?"

He appeared reluctant as he thought for a while but he still answered the same.

"...no, because that would be kind of rude and I think only close friends can do such things."

I looked over to Miura who seemed to finally get my point this time, and oh boy did it have a huge effect on her! Miura was practically like a tomato right now, she looked like she had something to say but before anything could be said I interrupted her.

I thought to myself I wish I answered her like how Isshiki rejects me when she thinks I'm hitting on her. The thought of that made me laugh internally if I did something like that I think it would go like this:

"AsmuchasitthrillsmetohearyourfeelingsformeImustrespectfullydeclineforIdonotsharethesamefeelingsbutIwishyougoodluckinyourfutureendeavors." I laughed at myself for thinking of doing something as silly as that in front of the class it would only make me seem like a weirdo to the whole class so I answered her with.

"I appreciate your feelings for me Miura, but I don't think it would work out so sorry. I can't return your feelings."

The class went silent at what I just did, then soon the class started to laugh, not at me but at Miura.

"Poor Miura, she got turned down by Hikigaya-kun! Hahaha." Someone said out loud.

Serving as the final nail on the coffin, I asked Hayama one last time.

"Hey Hayama, you and Miura are close right?" Hayama nodded at my question. "So, do you like her?"

Upon hearing my words he was taken aback by the sudden inquiry, the laughter in the room was replaced by the whispers of curiosity and all eyes were on him.

He was now a little tense as the spotlight was on him, but he managed to answer calmly.

"What do you mean by that, Hikigaya-kun?" He dodged the bullet by feigning ignorance, but I wasn't going to let it slide.

"You know exactly what I mean, do you like her as a friend? Or as a girl?"

Miura's eyes turned to Hayama, anxious to know what his answer would be, only to be dismayed.

"I like her as... a friend."

Upon hearing that Miura's face was full of disappointment. She spun around and saw the pitiful eyes the class was giving her, along with some girls who were laughing at her misfortune.

When our eyes met she gritted her teeth to hold back her tears, I thought she still had something to say but she quickly turned and ran out the classroom to avoid further humiliation. Yuigahama followed her soon after, worried about her friend.

I myself was about to leave as well when I heard someone call.

"Hikigaya, we need to talk. Could you please come with me to the teachers' lounge?"

It was Hiratsuka-sensei, I didn't notice that she was already in the classroom. She probably saw what happened between me, Tobe and Miura though she didn't seemed that angry, but her face told me she was not in a happy mood.

'Well, there goes my time to eat...'

I was about to reply "yes" when I heard another familiar voice speak up.

"Nope, he isn't going with you Hiratsuka-sensei. He is going to have lunch with me and Saki-chan."

It was Caren-san, standing by the door of the classroom with her arms folded above her chest, a triumphant smile on her face. Did Saki tell her what was going on here and called her over? Knowing this mischievous nurse, she must have rushed here and observed what was happening, I was too busy with the stuff with Miura and Tobe so I didn't notice her.

Before Hiratsuka-sensei could say something in return, Caren-san had walked over to me, grabbed me by the hand and pulled me out of the classroom. Saki was also standing outside, probably waiting for us. She then pushed me towards her, thankfully I didn't fall over Saki.

"Hachi and Saki-chan should go to the infirmary now, I'll take care of things here. So you two be good little kids and wait for me there." She then entered the classroom and closed the door behind her. I let out a sigh of relief as she had just saved me from the wrath of Hiratsuka-sensei and from not being able to eat my lunch. Not wanting to waste the opportunity that Caren-san gave me, I turned to Saki.

"Let's go Saki, she said to wait at the infirmary."

She nodded at me and we both made our way there, while walking I hoped Caren-san could take care of the problem with Hiratsuka-sensei so we could finally get to eat...

-Caren's POV-

Hachi looked so cool earlier! When he stood up to that girl with drills for hair, the way he made her into a blushing mess was so funny and that rejection was the cherry on top! He even used what that blondie said against little Miss Drill Hair, this Onee-san is truly proud of her Hachi!

He is so interesting! Maybe I should give him a reward for his improvements? Like I could shower him with my love and affection or I could just do the usual teasing, seeing what his reaction is never gets old for me.

But before I could do any of those, I had to stop thinking because I still had to talk with his ex-club adviser. We both had to leave the classroom and go somewhere more private so we can chat properly. We headed for the rooftop and sat on a bench, I turned to face her as I wanted this to end quickly and have lunch with Saki-chan and Hachi.

"So Hiratsuka-sensei, why did you want to talk to Hachi?"

"I just wanted to talk to him about how he handled the situation earlier."

"You mean how he humiliated the girl with blonde hair and how he used the blonde boy's words against her?"

"Yes Ortensia-san, that would be one of the many things I wanted to talk to him about, he could have handled that matter in a way that didn't involve humiliating two people."

I looked at Hiratsuka-sensei in a rather confused manner. Two people? So Hachi went wild not just on the blonde girl earlier? I had to ask him about it when he swung by the infirmary later after school.

"Two people you say, Hiratsuka-sensei? When I got there, I only saw Hachi taking out his frustrations on a girl, Miura is her name if I remember correctly?" She was the one I saw talking to Hachi before, when we were at the mall waiting for Komachi-chan.

"Yup, that's her," She nodded. "And the other one was Kakeru Tobe, he was shot down earlier by Hikigaya-kun, but it wasn't at the same level with what he did to Miura."

So Hachi released almost all of his anger on that bratty blonde girl... As much as I wanted to talk about what had happened there, it would take up all my time and I wouldn't be able to have lunch with Hachi and Saki-chan.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, tell me; do you think what Hachi did earlier was wrong?"

"No, because he stood up for himself, and that for me is a huge improvement for him." Hiratsuka-sensei then sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose. "But I wish he didn't do that to Tobe and Miura, he could have handled the situation better."

"Well, you're right. Maybe he could have not done that to those two. But I doubt he didn't have his reasons on why it came to that. Besides, you said it yourself, he is showing improvement." Hiratsuka-sensei sighed again.

"I'm not used to him doing stuff he normally doesn't do, that's all Ortensia-san."

"Then you just need to guide him while he is slowly changing, so he'd know what his limits are and so he won't stray from the right path. You know Hiratsuka-sensei, he once told me that you were the only teacher he respected because you genuinely cared for your students."

Hiratsuka-sensei suddenly turned her head to me, eyes wide in shock.

"H-he said that about me?"

"Yup. He also said that you were one of his favorite teachers here, he easily understands the lessons with your teaching style and he never gets bored of your subjects."

"I doubt that last part. He always sleeps in my class."

"Uuh..."

Bad Hachi! I thought you were a good student! I was doing you a favor to get some points on Hiratsuka-sensei, then I hear this! I have got to turn this around somehow.

"He sleeps in your class because... he gets so bored by the earlier subjects, and he says he loves to listen to you while you talk in front of the class. Your voice soothes his weariness like a song."

Upon hearing that Hiratsuka-sensei blushed like a high school girl in love. Oh Hachi, you really had a knack for charming older women, don't you? If you could only see your Sensei now, you wouldn't believe what a blushing mess she was right now.

I wanted to tease her more but I remembered that those two were waiting for me and they haven't eaten yet, so I checked my phone for the time and saw that we only had twenty minutes left for lunch break. While Hiratsuka-san was busy in her own world, I excused myself aloud.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, I have got to go now. Hachi and Saki-chan are still waiting for me, and don't worry about Hachi I'll tell him not to do stuff like that again when he gets angry in your stead."

She seemed to have heard what I said and returned to the real world, shaking her head and clearing her throat.

"Ummm.. O-okay, thank you Ortensia-san for that and for looking after Hikigaya-kun."

I smiled at her and nodded before I left the rooftop and headed for the infirmary. As I entered and went to my desk, I was greeted by Hachi.

"So, what did you and Hiratsuka-sensei talked about earlier?"

He seemed really nervous. Well, I couldn't blame him.

"We talked about you Hachi."

"Me? What did she say about me?"

"Well she said that she was surprised on what you did earlier, she also asked if you could not do that to people just because they got on your bad side."

"I admit, I may have gone a little bit overboard on what I did earlier... But I won't apologize to Miura, she deserved it for acting like a bitch." He still looked kind of grumpy when he said that.

Hachi was acting like some bad boy now, maybe I could use this to teach him a lesson so he won't repeat something like that earlier when he gets mad again.

I stood up and made my way to him, swaying my hips seductively as I walked and as expected, it worked! The grumpy look on his face instantly changed into a flustered one and he could barely look at me straight.

Once I was close to him I put one finger under his chin and lifted his face, licking my lips before speaking.

"So Hachi, you are a bad boy now eh?" I saw how he slightly trembled at what I was doing to him. I sat on his lap and cupped his face with both hands as I closed the distance between our faces. I saw Saki-chan was now blushing at what she was witnessing right in front of her, and I couldn't blame her since I do think she liked Hachi. The way she observed him and how she cared for him when that Iroha brat did that to him...

Setting that aside, I slowly breathed on his ear and whispered to him.

"Do you want to see my bad side Hachi? I promise you'll like every minute when you see that side of me, though things may get a bit... slippery when wet."

Hachi looked over to Saki-chan silently asking her for help, she looked hesitant but moved towards him anyway. However it was useless as I gave Saki-chan a look that told her to back off or she'd be my new prey, she knew I meant business and stopped in her tracks, slowly backing off to where she was originally seated.

After that I caressed the sides of his face, waiting for him to answer me. He was still resisting up to this point so he had built up some tolerance to my teasing, but if that won't work maybe I could scare him a little.

Sorry Hachi, but your Onee-san has to teach you a lesson.

"Do as I say, or I'll show you how bad I can get when I'm angry. So Hachi, what's your answer?" I asked, glaring straight into his eyes. He got the message and quickly answered.

"O-okay Caren-san, I give up. You win, what do you want me to do?" I flashed my victory smile at the response.

"Before I tell you that, promise me that whenever you get into a situation like that again you will handle it more carefully, and you won't not use other people to humiliate someone. You got that Hachi?"

He seemed rather hesitant but nodded in agreement as I told him what I want him to do.

"You should apologize to your classmates whom you vented out at earlier, and Saki-chan I want you to go with him. Tell me if he does it properly."

"Okay Caren-san you can count on me." Answered Saki-chan.

"And if you don't finish that within this week, there will be dire consequences... Do I make myself clear, Hachi?"

"Y-yes, Caren-san! I understand..."

Upon hearing that from him I kissed his forehead which made his face turn red. Saki-chan awkwardly giggled at his reaction.

"Good boy! I like the fact that you went all beast-mode on that bratty girl earlier but..." He looked at me when I trailed off.

"...never do something like that again. I know she deserved that for acting like a bitch, but that doesn't justify you going out there humiliating someone who did something bad to you. Tell them what they did wrong and if they don't listen to you, just leave them. You are a better person than that Hachi, so don't do anything rash like that again, okay?"

He gave a soft grunt of approval at what I said before I remembered we were supposed to eat our lunch together. We only had little time left to eat so I moved away from Hachi and got some drinks for us, eating our meals quickly yet quietly.

It wasn't the awkward type of quiet to say the least, it was more of a peaceful ambience, us enjoying our food. Hachi was now back to his calm demeanor and Saki-chan was being herself. After eating the two students went back to their room lunch period was nearly at its end, I waved them goodbye and went back to my desk, thinking on how Hachi would deal with the task I gave him.

It would be hard to apologize to that girl after what he did to her earlier, that's why I gave him a week as a time limit to try and talk to her. For now, I'll just wait and see what would happen as I think of a punishment for him if he can't do it.

-Hachiman's POV-

Caren-san really had her way with me during lunch... and I was looking at Saki for help earlier, but she backed off for some reason.

While we were in the classroom, I thought of ways on how to approach Miura so I could apologize to her. I don't really want to do this, but if I don't then Caren-san would punish me. Who knows what that nurse would come up with if I don't comply.

For now I thought the best thing to do was to let her be on her own for a while. She need some space and time to cool down first before I could get her to listen. Tobe seemed easier to approach than Miura so I needed to prioritize her over him.

While listening to the lesson I felt someone staring at my direction, I looked around to see who it was but I didn't see anyone. Perhaps it was just my imagination? I dismissed it quickly and focused on the lesson being taught, and just when I was about to take down notes I felt the same stare again, only to not find the culprit.

The day passed by with the feeling from earlier constantly coming and going during the remaining classes, I did my best to ignore it and focus instead on the lessons. Once classes was over I headed to where Saki was and asked her if she was leaving early today. She said yes and that she had to pick up Keika from her nursery because her younger brother was practicing for a school play.

That bug was in a school play? I bet his role was something irrelevant, like a tree or grass. I hope he and Komachi weren't in the same group, I remembered her saying something like that.

Saki excused herself and left in a hurry so I headed onto the infirmary where Caren-san was waiting for me. After knocking a few times before entering, I saw Caren-san checking out all the medicine in stock if they had expired. Putting my bag down on her desk I decided to help her finish the job quicker.

It took half an hour of checking and reorganizing the shelf's content, and afterwards we sat down and took a quick rest. She fetched some Max coffee from her mini-fridge and handed one to me. We were in the middle relaxing and small talk about what happened earlier when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Caren-san spoke. As the door slid open, I was surprised to see it was a girl. One from our class, on top of that.

"Umm excuse me, is Hikita-I-I mean, Hikigaya-kun here?"

She was a tall girl with brown bobbed hair and green eyes gleamed behind a pair of red half-framed glasses, I was about to get up from my seat as Caren-san got over to our guest as she said to her.

"Are you looking for Hachi? Please have a seat, my name is Ortensia Caren, you can just call me Caren."

"Nice to meet you Caren-san, my name is Ebina Hina."

"Well then Hina-chan, what business might you have with Hachi?"

Ebina looked at me for a while before answering.

"I want to ask him about what happened earlier."

Caren-san looked rather confused. "What do you want to ask from him Hina-chan?"

"Well, earlier during lunch he and some of my friends got into an argument of sorts. So I wanted to hear his side of the story. "

Upon hearing that Caren-san looked at me and smiled, and I knew at that moment she had a plan inside that head of hers. I was in so much trouble right as I walked on over to where they were and I was thinking what this devilish nurse had just in store for me.

 **Short AN**

 **Here it is Hina finally enters the story!**

 **Sorry if I didn't update last December as the holiday got me super lazy my bad anyways...**

 **Thanks to The Immortal Doctor Reid for the idea on Yumiko! I sometimes can't think of ideas so if you have an interesting one you can leave it in the reviews and I'll acknowledge you in the next chapter if I use it.**

 **Big thanks to thatguywhowrote who betaread this and added some of the details here and maybe look out for a story we are about to make in the near future.**

 **Reviews are always welcome and like or favorite the story to show your support.**

 **I answer almost all of the reviews here if you have an account here check your inbox and next time I'll try to answer the anonymous ones.**

 **Will Hachiman be succesful in apologizing to Yumiko?**

 **Better wait for the next chapters, until then everyone see you! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

Bad luck.

What exactly was bad luck? The definition of luck was an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that led to a favorable outcome. Thus, having bad luck led to an unfavorable outcome.

Therefore, the real question was: why does one have bad luck?

Bad luck was often believed to represent bad karma. If one had wronged another in the past, they would soon be wronged. The odd thing was, however, some people had bad luck for what seemed to be no reason at all. These people tried their best to be good people. They held doors open, tipped well and saved their money, yet the most unfortunate things still happened to them. Whether these folks tripped in front of hundreds of people, were victims of hit-and-run accidents, or were bitten by rabid dogs, they had all come to the realization that they had bad luck. For most, bad luck was fleeting. A state of being that only came at the worst possible times.

For me however, I experienced chronic bad luck. From being accused of a delinquent or a creep because of my dead fish eyes, I was always being judged by others because of my appearance.

This bad luck never ceased to surprise me.

The question I asked myself now was, "why me?"

Ebina Hina, a classmate of mine, her fondness for reading Yaoi/BL and cosplaying were her main points that I knew about her. We rarely talked and if we did it was about her having me in her BL delusions, prompting a nose bleed. I was a tad curious to know what kind of things she was imagining but my instincts told me that if I found out what those were then there would be no turning back for me. I do prefer to have a sane mind, so no thank you.

When Hina came into the infirmary yesterday she asked me what had happened between me, Miura and Tobe. I really wanted to not answer her here with Caren-san around, but to my dismay I couldn't do that because a certain nurse would get angry with me. Also if I did that, she might make my punishment a lot harder for me. Lastly, she held onto my arm really tight so there was no use escaping.

I gave up the idea of doing that as I explained my side to Hina. While telling her my side of the story she sat across me and listened while Caren-san went behind her desk, sitting down while listening to me as well. She was staring at Ebina with a look in her eyes that told me she had a plan that involved her.

"I'm truly sorry Hikigaya-kun, for everything." Hina bowed as she apologized on her friends' behalf.

"Ah, no worries, you weren't the one at fault. I was kinda in the wrong too, so..."

"Say Hina-chan, I have a favor to ask..." Caren-san suddenly spoke up, turning our attention to her. "Seeing you're close with those two, would it be fine if I ask of you to help Hachiman here to apologize to them?"

Ah, she had beaten me to it. Ebina thought for a while as she looked to me then back at her.

"I don't particularly mind at all. What do you want me to do?"

"Well, I don't want you to be spoon feeding Hachiman now. So you could help him out on finding the two's whereabouts and such. Also, if it's okay I want you to report to me any changes on his task of asking for forgiveness."

Surprisingly, Ebina had accepted the terms without much second thoughts and told me that she would do her best to help me out. I thanked her and gladly shook her hand as I knew just how tough it would be, any help would be much appreciated. While I didn't really feel like apologizing to Miura, I knew I had to else this devilish nurse would punish me. Who knew what she had in store if I failed...

She then excused herself after seeing what time it was, saying she had to go catch her show on the television. As she left the room, Caren-san and I decided as well that it too was about time we cleaned up and took our leave.

I decided to accompany Caren-san on the way home as her house was along the way to mine. While walking towards her apartment her phone began to ring.

"Yes, Mother? You want a hot pot for dinner later? Okay, just send me the ingredients that I need to buy... Okay, see you later then." A few minutes later after the call she received a text from her mother. She asked me to go with her to the nearest grocery store but before that I texted Komachi to inform her I would be coming home a little late since I had to help Caren-san with her groceries. She quickly replied back saying it was okay and that I should also buy some soy sauce and ketchup because we were about to run out on our supply.

We were rather quick to buy all the stuff we needed once we had arrived at the store because it turned out that Caren-san only needed to buy noodles, green onions, carrots and the enoki mushrooms. I quickly got mine and after paying for everything, were out of the store within ten minutes. I carried the bags for her and escorted her to the apartment, and as we were nearing her place we saw someone who was walking back and forth within the area.

It was her mother, she was clearly waiting for her and if I didn't know them I would have thought they're siblings or even twins since her mother looked very similar to her albeit a little older. When we got near her mother she quickly greeted us and introduced herself to me.

"Good evening, my name is Claudia Hortensia, Caren's mother. Who is this cute boy with you tonight Caren? Can you introduce him to me?" Caren-san chuckled at what her mother said and introduced me to her.

"Mother, this is the boy I was telling you about. His name is Hikigaya Hachiman, I call him Hachi. Hachi, meet my mother Claudia, and do know she doesn't like it when you call her Hortensia-san."

Like mother like daughter, they both didn't want to be called by their family name... I wonder why? I bowed slightly as I answered her mother.

"Good evening, and nice to meet you too Claudia-san."

"Nice to meet you too Hachi-kun... I would like to talk a little longer but..." Claudia-san quickly grabbed the groceries from my hands and quickly went inside their apartment. Caren-san just face-palmed.

"Sorry about that Hachi, but it seems she's very hungry, that's why she was in such a hurry to get back in. I better help her cook our dinner so see you tomorrow at school Hachi!" She kissed me on the cheek as she left my side, as always this nurse never got tired of doing stuff to embarrass me.

Before she closed the door she waved goodbye and I waved back to her. As I was going home I was thinking of telling Komachi what had happened today and I should ask her about what her opinions were about what I did to Miura and Tobe. I also should ask her on how to get on the good side of Miura so she would consider forgiving me.

Shortly after getting home I changed my clothes first and went to see if Komachi was in our living room watching TV. As I went down the stairs I heard the TV was on and the cutest little sister in the world was watching some comedy show, laughing away. Before I went and sat beside her to talk I first got prepped myself a cup of coffee and then I went to her side.

We greeted each other and I went straight to the point, first I explained to her what had happened earlier and what I did to Miura and Tobe. Upon hearing what I did Komachi was a little bit shocked and she motioned for me to continue. I also explained to her what Caren-san wanted me to do, that Saki was observing me and that Hina would try and help me out with her friend. After saying all the things she needed to know Komachi looked at me for a moment before sighing.

"Onii-chan, I am proud of you that you stood up for yourself against that girl, but what you did to her was too much in my opinion. And you even did something to that guy that was just saying your name wrong."

"Well, it wasn't my fault he decided to join in on us when I was in such a bad mood."

"But still! Onii-chan, you should have just told him off in a nicer way. Also Onii-chan, I know that the girl was being a meanie but she was still a girl. You could have been more sensitive when you did that to her, and you did something terrible to her in front of the whole class too."

After saying that she glared at me with her cute eyes which she always did when she meant serious business so I knew I had already lost. I apologized to her and asked what should I do to get Miura to forgive me, she said that it was going to be tough because of what I did and the chances of her forgiving me were very low. She also said that I shouldn't force myself on her as that would only have the opposite effect on her. I should also apologize to her sincerely, and not just because I didn't want to be punished by Caren-san.

After the talk with Komachi we had dinner as I thought of ways on how to be able to talk with Miura without her getting mad or ignoring me. As you would expect it, it was really hard to think of solutions. I couldn't come up with anything to get on her good side so I decided to read up on some of my light novels to clear my mind. I went to my shelf and fetched some books then laid down on my bed to read. Minutes passed by and I was now enjoying the book I was reading when I looked at the time to find it was already 11:00PM.

Time really flew when you're enjoying yourself. I put the book away on the desk next to my bed, now feeling sleepy. I didn't get to think of a way to fix my problem with Miura, maybe I'll ask Ebina to set us up to talk. I closed my eyes to sleep and off to go to the land of dreams. Hopefully I could get some valuable information from her tomorrow to help me with Miura, I knew the odds were against me but still I must try as I really don't want to be punished by Caren-san.

 **Day 2**

I woke up early and went on with my morning routine, I jogged in the park then after sweating came back home and took a bath before making some breakfast for me and Komachi. After eating I quickly left my house and went to Sobu High, checking to see if Ebina came in early today so we could plan on something to help me with Miura. Luckily for me when she came in the infirmary yesterday she gave me her cellphone number before she left and did something. I got my phone and texted her if she would come to school early since I had something to talk about with her. A few minutes later she answered back with a yes and that she also wanted to talk to me about what our plan would be.

After thanking her for going out of her way, I sudden thought came to mind:

"Why was Ebina Hina helping me? What are her intentions?"

She wasn't exactly the type to meddle with someone else's affairs, so why was she helping me? Maybe she was just someone who was very good-natured, or she was doing it for her friend's sake? I could think of a few reasons but I couldn't choose which one it was, maybe I could ask her later when we talk.

Upon reaching the school I parked my bike and went straight to our classroom to leave my things on my seat. I then texted Ebina to meet me at the rooftop. While I was going up the stairs to wait for her I got her reply saying she was near the school already. I closed my phone and waited for her, and within a few minutes the door opened and I saw her looking for me. Upon finding me she went to my side and sat down.

"So Hikigaya-kun, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, before all that I want to thank you first, for helping me with your friend. I also wanted to ask you something."

Ebina looked at me curiously.

"Why did you agree on helping me with Miura in the first place?"

Upon hearing that she looked rather puzzled.

"Do I need a reason to help people?"

I looked at her and asked seriously.

"I know you're a good person Ebina, but I know you have a reason why agreed to Caren-san's request."

She smiled at me and giggled softly.

"Well if you really want to know Hikigaya-kun... It's because I wanted to make it up to you."

It was my turn to be confused. She wanted to make it up to me? I don't recall her doing something or anything bad to me.

"I'm not getting it, you never did anything wrong to me."

"I didn't, but after what you did to help our group I know that you, Yui and Yukinoshita were in bad terms for a while then."

Oh, so she was referring to that time when I did the fake confession so that her group wouldn't fall apart.

"Ebina, you don't have feel indebted to me and do this. It wasn't your fault back then, it was mine. I could have thought of other ways to solve the problem but I chose to sacrifice myself by my own volition, and besides it's all in the past so don't worry about it."

"But I still want to help you, Hikigaya-kun so won't you let me?" She looked me in the eyes and I could tell she was dead serious in wanting to help me.

...it also didn't help that she was quite cute when she was asked me to.

Dammit, why did girls have to always look this cute when they're pleading for something? It wasn't fair, I tell you!

With a sigh I decided to accept her help.

"Thank you Ebina, then I really appreciate you helping me." I smiled at her and, after seeing me smile, she studied my face with a bit of a shock.

"Hikigaya-kun! You look so handsome when you smile like that! Can you do it more often? I can assure you some of the boys would hands-down also fall for you, especially Hayama."

I laughed at her fujoshi outburst, but this time I decided to play along.

"If it's Totsuka then I won't mind at all."

Upon hearing that I swore I heard something snapped inside Ebina as she spaced out for a while. Then blood gushed out from her nose as she fell beside me slightly twitching, the smile on her face probably a result of her imagination, something like a scene with me and Totsuka as we...

...

A-anyway, when she recovered from her delusion we went back to our room and on the way down I asked her to observe how Miura's mood was this morning. If she was in a good one I told her to set us up so we could talk and hopefully I could try and apologize to her and she would forgive me.

I knew that it was highly unlikely for her to just forgive me out of the blue after all that, but I still had to try, I really, REALLY don't want to get punished by Caren-san so I need all the help I can get for me to succeed in this.

The rest of the day was rather boring, just the usual teachers droning about the lessons. Some of us listened attentively and some weren't even bothering to pay attention to the discussion and were doing unrelated things at class. For me, I was listening to the teacher, but I couldn't completely focus as my mind was preoccupied with the task at hand - getting Miura's forgiveness.

Maybe I could try to talk to Tobe first and apologize to him before I think of going for Miura? I sent a text to Ebina saying that I wanted to talk to Tobe and asked if she could help me send Tobe to the rooftop. Her reply came in saying she'd try asking him later during lunch to accompany her.

As lunch came I quickly headed to the rooftop and waited for the two but before that I texted a certain nurse that I would be a little late. She was quick to reply her okay and that she can wait for me a little bit. I thanked her in my reply as I arrived at the place and started to wait for two. After five minutes of waiting the door opened and I saw them coming my way. Upon seeing me Tobe seemed hesitant to approach but Ebina urged him, or more like dragged him over to where I was.

Unlike with Miura, I sincerely wanted to apologize to him. He was just caught in the middle of crossfire yesterday, I could've just went to him earlier but I couldn't because he was stuck like glue to his group and Miura was close by. If I went there unprepared I could have been misunderstood by both of them and that was something I had to avoid.

I also should do something in return to Ebina since she was helping me out with her friends. She liked books so maybe I could lend her one from my collections...

But first things first; I had to finish my business with Tobe.

"I'll get straight to the point then. I'm sorry Tobe, for yesterday. You did nothing wrong, but I went and said those things to you, I'm sorry you got caught in between me and Miura's problem. I'm really sorry, and I hope you can forgive me." After saying that I bowed my head down and waited for his reply.

"Hikigaya-kun is properly apologizing to you, what will you do now?"

My head was still lowered so I couldn't see what face he had on right now, but then I felt a hand on my shoulder and looking up I saw it was Tobe smiling.

"No problem Hikigaya-kun, we all make mistakes. I also did something wrong for calling you Hikitani-kun, even though we weren't close. So I'm also sorry for that." He also bowed down to me after saying that.

"Thanks Tobe."

"No problem Hikigaya-kun, so are we friends now?"

I was hesitant to answer him, but seeing just how sincere he was in his apology I couldn't find it in myself to say no this time. So I raised my right hand for a shake.

"Sure Tobe, we're friends now, but please don't call me Hikitani okay?"

"Yeah, me and Hikigaya-kun are bros now! Okay I promise not to call you that anymore."

While we were having a little moment of our own we didn't notice that Ebina was already on the floor twitching like crazy with blood coming out of her nose. This girl probably imagined us in some sort of BL fantasy again. Tobe and I helped her up to her feet as we went to a nearby bench so she could rest up.

After she had recovered I was about to say my goodbyes as I was running a little late on going to the infirmary when I remembered to thank Ebina with her help on Tobe. She said it was no problem and when I was about to leave Tobe offered his help as well to me with Miura.

I warned that there was a big chance for him to be caught in the middle of everything again if he were to help out, but he was resolute and said it was fine with him. I graciously accepted his offer but told him that before he did anything he should consult Ebina first if his actions were okay. With that he agreed and so I went off to the infirmary.

As I was going down the stairs Ebina called out to me to wait up as she was coming with me. I then remembered that she and Saki were asked to observe me while I apologize to the two so we both went to the infirmary. As we arrived there I knocked on the door before opening it, as we entered the room I saw Caren-san behind her desk working on some documents. She put her pen down and as we approached her she looked at me with a pout.

"You're late, Hachi."

"Sorry, but there was a very good reason for that."

"And that is?"

"Hikigaya-kun apologized to Tobe earlier and all went well Caren-san." Upon hearing what Ebina said Caren-san got off her seat and went to us. With a smile now on her face she patted my head like a child.

"Good Hachi, now all that's left is that girl, what was her name again? The blonde with drills for hair?"

"Easier said than done, Caren-san. And her name's Miura, and I think even with Ebina's help it may be really difficult."

"Well, that's your fault Hachi, for acting like that to her yesterday. Now that you're here let's eat, and Hina-chan you can eat here with us if you like."

Ebina nodded to Caren-san as we ate our lunch, there she saw how Caren-san teased me to no end. She looked at us and blushed a little, then pulled out a little notebook from her pocket and began taking down notes. Caren-san asked her what she was writing down and she answered that they were ideas for her story.

I had an idea what those stories were and decided not to comment anything, instead I enjoyed my lunch as she and Caren-san seemed to get closer to each other. After lunch, we finally headed back to our room when Ebina suddenly asked me.

"Say Hikigaya-kun, Caren-san really likes to do those things to you, doesn't she?"

"You mean the teasings until I'm red like a tomato? And her sudden actions that leave me speechless? Yeah, she does that a lot. I think it's her way of showing how much she cares about a person, and she just really likes to mess with me a lot. Not a day went by that she hasn't done anything to me."

She only giggled at my response, and as we arrived at our classroom she excused herself before going to her seat. I sat down on mine and I saw a glimpse of Miura looking at me before her eyes move to Ebina. She then went over to her and asked her something, they chatted for a while before she glared at me again.

It seemed she was still furious over what I said and did to her. I could somehow understand how she felt and I don't blame her for acting like that, I just hope her head would cool down so I could talk with her without her being unreasonable. The day ended quickly and as always after class I went to Caren-san to help out. Saki couldn't come again because no one would fetch Keika from her nursery as the bug was still busy with preparations for that school activity. Even Komachi was practicing at home before I slept last night, I heard her saying some lines from a play she was practicing.

Komachi, your Onii-chan is so proud of you! I'll come to your school if I'm not busy during that time to support my cutest little sister in the world!

Before Caren-san and I went home, Ebina texted me saying she tried asking Miura what had happened between us when they went to the mall. As I expected, she didn't want to talk about it and she quickly changed the topic. I sighed and replied with thanks for telling me that and I also would lend her some of my books as my way of gratitude for her help. She declined the offer at first, but I was persistent until she ended up agreeing, saying I can just surprise her with what I would bring tomorrow. I wondered on which books I could hand her as the only ones I was sure she read were BL ones. I didn't have any of those so maybe some romance? I could also give her some books on world literature and maybe some of the good light novels that I had.

When I got home I got a text from Komachi saying that she would be a little late due to her practice so before I went upstairs to change I went to the kitchen and made us some dinner for later. After cooking I then went to my room and changed my clothes, I also browsed for some of the books that I would lend Ebina tomorrow. A while later Komachi arrived, but before we had dinner I told her to change her clothes first.

"So Oniichan, how was your problem at school? Have you apologized already to that girl?" Komachi asked as we ate our dinner. My shoulders slumped down at her question.

"Well... It still wasn't the right time, and I didn't get any chances to apologize to Miura. But I did manage to patch things up with Tobe, so I guess that's progress."

"That's good to hear Oniichan, do you think that girl will listen or let you apologize to her?"

I paused and pondered for a moment.

"I honestly think she won't Komachi, but Hina and Tobe are going to help me so I'll put some faith in them ."

"Hmm I can't really help you there Oniichan, but I can at least do this to cheer you up!" She got up from her chair and went to my side before giving me a tight hug.

Ah... this little sister of mine really was the best. I wanted going to take care of things for her because I knew she was tired, yet here she was comforting me...

I hugged her back and patted her head as I said to her.

"Thanks Komachi."

"No problem Oniichan! That just earned me a lot of Komachi points, right?"

"Yeah, but you might have earned a lot more if you didn't say that." After saying that we both laughed and continued our meal.

 **Day 3**

This day was the same as yesterday but with **ONE BIG DIFFERENCE:** Miura saw me talking with Ebina and Tobe in the morning.

Now she wouldn't stop glaring at me. I knew I deserved the glaring, but wasn't this a little too much? During classes earlier I felt her staring daggers at me that even Yuigahama noticed and asked her why was she doing that. She just shrugged it off and flipped her phone out and fiddling with it.

The whole day was like me listening to the teachers especially Hiratsuka-sensei because I couldn't forget that one time when she caught me not listening, she punched me in the gut when she called me to the teachers' lounge. After that I made it a habit of listening to her attentively for my sake.

Miura's glaring at me gradually lessened throughout the day and I saw her expression had relaxed. Perhaps she had gotten tired of being like that all day? It was currently lunch break but before I went to Caren-san I texted Ebina to let Miura relax for now and never mention me so her mood would get better. While heading to where the nurse was I got a reply from Ebina saying she and Tobe would try to talk to Miura later when they go to the mall again, and hopefully she'd open up about it. I gave my thanks and told her I have the books that I will lend her so before they left later she should go over to my seat so I can hand her those.

Arriving at my destination I knocked on the door before I went in and as I opened the door a flying can of max coffee flew straight at me. I barely caught it as I looked over to where Caren-san was, sitting behind her desk with a contented smile.

"Hello there Hachi, you sure have good reflexes with the way you were able to catch that."

"I barely managed to catch it, and don't just go throwing stuff at people's faces. What if I weren't the one who came in?" I sat in front of her desk as I saw her get her lunch and put it on the table.

"No worries Hachi, I know you're the only one who comes here during this time, and I know you won't let your favorite drink be wasted, right?"

"Damn right you are!" as I nodded and opened the can of max coffee we began to eat, as we did she called out to me.

"Hachi."

"Yes Caren-san?"

"After school, we are going to some place you are, or were very familiar with. We have business with them and I expect you to behave yourself. You got that Hachi?"

Some place I'm very familiar with and we have business with them? I looked skeptically at her but she just smiled at me while we ate. No use thinking about that because she was the one in charge here so I just nodded and continued with our lunch. Finished with my meal I excused myself to return to my classroom, but before I left she told me to ask Saki as well if can come with us later.

While returning to the classroom I was wondering where we would go later and why did she want Saki to come with us. Once I reached the room I was once again glared at by the fire queen herself. It seemed she really doesn't like me talking earlier with her friends. I ignored it and focused on the lessons instead, not wanting to worsen her mood more than it already was by just letting her release all that stress. Four hours later, classes finished and all the students headed for home. I saw Miura quickly left the room not before glaring at me again prior to going out.

Seriously, if she did this to me every day, I'll call her the glare queen of Sobu instead, wait... she never gets tired of looking at me...

...

... **OH MY GOD** **!**

Does this mean that she really has a crush on me? Was what I said right and now she was just being a tsundere?

...

Yeah right No way that's real, there was a better chance for Yukinoshita's chest to get bigger or Yuigahama becoming a genuis than that happening!

My train of thought aside, I stopped laughing to myself as I saw Tobe and Ebina making their way towards me.

"Here are the books, enjoy reading them."

"Thanks Hikigaya-kun, I'll try reading them when I'm not that busy. We'll also try talking to Yumiko again later."

"Okay but be careful once you mention me, you don't want her to be angry with you too."

"Relax Hikigaya-kun, It'll be fine so trust me."

My shoulders slumped down as I just smiled at what he said.

"Okay, tell me what happens later and if she still doesn't want to talk about it just let her be. Tomorrow I'll join you two and hopefully she'll listen to me when I'm with you."

Ebina and Tobe said their goodbyes as they left the room while Saki and I were headed to the infirmary. As I was going there I was deep in thought where we were heading later and what business we had to do there. Suddenly I stopped as I got an idea of which place it could be, Saki looked back at me a little confused.

"Something wrong, Hachiman?"

"Nothing's wrong, Saki. At least, nothing yet..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, let's go there already."

We started to walk again to the infirmary, while walking there Saki told me that Keika wanted to play again with me. I agreed to once I was no longer busy, such as during the weekends.

"Thanks Hachiman, Keika will be really happy to hear that." Saki smiled at me as I blushed and looked the other way.

If Saki showed this smile more often she would be really popular with the guys, but I only see her like this when she was with her family, I was really lucky to get to see her like this so I also smiled back at her as we headed to the infirmary.

As we arrived, Caren-san requested us to help her move some boxes filled with bandages and medicine, shortly after we finished with that she then said to us.

"Now that's over, Saki-chan and Hachi will follow me. And **Hachi** , remember to behave okay?"

"I will."

"Where will be going?" Saki asked her.

"I'd like to tell you but that would spoil the surprise, won't it Saki-chan?" With that she got the keys from her desk and she got a small box from her table. She locked the room as we followed her, she certainly was planning something and I had a bad feeling about this but I just kept it to myself and see where Caren-san would take us. We followed her for a while and during our little journey that was all too familiar to me I had already confirmed where we are about to go. Saki looked at me worriedly as she knew where Caren-san was leading us.

"It's okay Saki, don't worry about me." I said to calm her a little.

"Are you sure Hachiman?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I smiled at her and that somehow put her at ease. She knew if I came back to that place I might feel really uneasy, she wasn't entirely wrong as I just don't want to talk to those people again.

Upon reaching our destination, Caren-san knocked on the door before she entered, Saki and I following behind.

We were at the Service Club room, I saw that Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were clearly nervous when we entered, I got some seats for the three of us as we sat in front of them. Yuigahama looked like she wanted to greet me badly but she couldn't muster the courage. I had no business with the two so I took a book from my bag and started to read.

When Caren-san saw what I did, she sighed while Saki gave me a look of concern. She then started to talk to Yukinoshita.

"Hello and good afternoon, Yukinosita-san. I'm here today to make a request."

I saw from the corner of my eye looking at me before she answered.

"And what would be that Caren-san?"

She thought for a while before she spoke up.

"Well, you know that there will be some physical exams next week, right? And three weeks after that, there is the sports festival right?"

"Yes I do know about those." Yukinoshita replied to her.

"The thing is, we need some help during those times so I came here to ask if you two could help us out during that time."

"Caren-san, if we needed some help we could've just asked some students to join us temporarily, right?" I said, putting my book down and looking at her. She did tell me we were going to be busy then.

"We could do that Hachi, but it's not like some students will quickly join us right? So just to be sure I came here and asked these two to help."

Okay, I saw her point so I went back to what I was reading. She seemed to be a little mad at me as she pinched my leg Ouch what did I do? She gave me a look that said "behave!" Afraid of her getting mad at me, I put away the book in my bag and I faced the two girls properly.

"So, will you accept my request?"

Yukinoshita and Yuigaham looked at each other and mentally came to a decision.

"Only if Hikigaya-kun is okay with it, then we are more than willing to help." Caren-san then turned to me.

"So? What will it be, are you okay with working with them Hachi?"

I breathed in and out slowly as I kept mentally telling myself,

 **'Do it for Komachi. Do it for Komachi. Do it for Komachi. Do it for Komachi. Do it for Komachi. Do it for Komachi. Do it for Komachi. Do it for Komachi.'**

 **'Do it for her! Do it for your cutest little sister in the world!'**

It seemed I've been quiet for a while as all the girls waited for my answer, I took a deep breathe one last time before answering.

"It's fine by me, Caren-san, and I... I-I forgive you, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita."

Both their faces lit up with joy as they heard what I said, but I still wasn't finished with what I was about to say.

"But," Caren-san then looked worried on what I was about to say. "Let me make this clear to the both of you." I looked straight into my my ex-clubmates' eyes.

"We are still not friends. I am only doing this because I promised Komachi that I will help you. Are we clear on that?"

"Yes Hikki- I-I mean, H-Hikigaya-kun..." Yuigahama muttered sadly while Yukinoshita just nodded. I looked over to the other girls, Saki just gave me a serious look while Caren-san was pouting at me.

Woman, why are you looking at me like that? I just made myself clear to them, I didn't do anything wrong here.

Yukinoshita and Caren-san then talked about the details while I resumed what I was reading. When they were done talking I thought we were about to leave when Caren-san placed the small box she carried on the table.

"Well, thank you for accepting my request. Here, before we leave, enjoy these cream puffs that I made at home."

She handed one out to each one of us and we ate quietly. The silence was rather awkward and nerve-racking as Yukinoshita and Yuigahama kept looking at me while Caren-san and Saki were talking about something. I took a bite out of her cream puffs and man! It was really good, all that I needed to make a perfect pair with it was my favorite drink Max Coffee. Sadly, I didn't have any with me now and I just ate away this delicious cream puff. I quickly finished mine and when I was about to drink my tea, Caren-san noticed something.

"Hey Hachi, you still got some cream on your face you know."

"Can you take care of it Caren-san?" I didn't have a mirror with me, and I was too lazy to even use my phone as one.

She smiled at me as she moved her chair closer to mine our faces became closer to each other. I should have just cleaned it myself because after that Caren-san cupped both my cheeks gently and her face slowly came near mine. Before I knew it, she had licked the cream off of my face. I blushed immediately when I felt her tongue grazing the skin of my cheek.

I wasn't sure if she had planned this one, but knowing her she probably did. I looked around the room to see the three girls were all blusing and looking away from us. Caren-san noticed this and she gave them a smug expression while licking my cheek again one last time, even kissing it once.

"Mmmm there all clean, Hachi."

"Th-Thanks Ca-Caren-san." I stuttered on answering her as she just smiled innocently at me. She then took out her phone from her bag and read something from it, she then excused us saying she needed to buy something. The club members then bid us goodbye, but before we could leave the room, she turned around and looked at the two girls.

"Say you girls, did you enjoy my cream puffs?"

She then glanced at me before going back to the two.

"I know I did." She then licked her lips before shutting the door behind her.

Once more turned into a blushing mess, both Saki and I went on our way out of school. Caren-san had gone off ahead of us, but as we reached the school gate we found her there waiting for us.

"I thought you had to buy something?" I asked her.

"I lied. I just wanted to see their faces and get out of there quickly when I did that." She chuckled after saying that.

"Can you turn down the teasing Caren-san? You almost gave me a heart attack earlier."

"No promises Hachi hehehe." She quickly replied as the three of us walked on home.

Saki was the first to split from our group as she needed to buy ingredients for their dinner later, we said our goodbyes as I walked Caren-san back to her apartment.

"So Hachi, how is it going with that girl Miura?"

"Not so good. She saw me talking to her friends earlier and she kept glaring at me almost all day."

"That is bad. Do you think you will be able to get her to forgive you?" She looked at me after asking.

"I don't really know Caren-san, but I still have some time so I'll do something about it."

"Good, then I'll give you a good luck charm." She walked in front of me, got on her toes and kissed me on my forehead. "There, do your best okay?"

I was a little embarrassed. Guess I could never get used to her.

"Thanks Caren-san, I'll do my best."

Once I got home I got a text from Ebina saying there were still no changes to Miura's attitude towards me, I heaved a deep sigh as I thanked her and got on my bed. As I tried to think of ways to fix my problem with Miura, I took out a book from one of my shelves and decided to read it before I went to sleep. But when I was going back to bed I noticed that one volume of a light novel was missing.

It was a book about a girl who had just transferred from an exclusive school and ended up falling in love with another girl. It was a good story and surprisingly, Zaimokuza was the one who showed me that. I looked for all over my room, unfortunately I couldn't find it. Since it was kind of late and I wanted to sleep, I returned the book I was supposed to read and got in my bed. Because of today's events, I immediately fell asleep.

 **Answers to revies from the last chapter.**

 **wildarms13: Will she fall for him? Maybe.**

 **Ichigo Oga: No I plan to make Hina a bridge for them to get along.**

 **shiroryuu012: He did he already has raised one before Hina.**

 **Oto Mustam: Thank you**

 **SilentKL: Thank you for your support and Does it count as a punishment if both of them enjoy it?**

 **Lord Mortensen: Here you go sorry if it was kind of late.**

 **EpicMS: I try to include the other characters but it might get rather confusing so I do what I can. Yes i plan to do more of other character's POV in the future.**

 **OsteoPoro: Here you go.**

 **thatguywhowrote: Thank you mate for your help here, very hard to imagine Hachiman doing that do Yumiko but if he did do it he would be the only one in the room to get it hahaha.**

 **Axrael: She will talk to him but not about that.**

 **HarimaHige: Hina will get some time in the upcoming chapters so watch out for that and sometimes you have to be cruel to be good to others.**

 **Flash Falcon: No worries no harem for Hachiman and no Yaoi harem too(Sorry Hina)**

 **striker sigma: Sorry no love for the flat I mean ice queen.**

 **dakringeisreal: hahaha lol**

 **KevinDtejeda: Thank you for the support well you'll be seeing a lot more things hachiman normally doesn't do.**

 **Itherael: Thank you!**

 **agustinjesus105: Here you go**

 **DarkElucidator: I know how you feel about Kirei but Caren is still one of my favorite characters from the Fate series.**

 **Very short A.N.**

 **And here we go! Chapter 8!**

 **Sorry if this came out rather late it was a busy month at work, but still I managed to finish this before march so here it is!**

 **Thank you always to thatguywhowrote for betareading for me.**

 **Thank you to those who followed and favorited my story it really means a lot thanks!**

 **Leave some reviews and the colab with thatguywhowrote will be out soon so watch out for that!**

 **Two days left for Hachiman will he be successful?**

 **Until next time**


	9. Chapter 9

-Day 4-

I woke up earlier than usual as I did my morning routine, after running in the park I quickly went home and made breakfast for me and Komachi. After eating I had decided that I wanted to go to school early and think of ways on how to have a peaceful conversation with Miura. I knew Tobe and Hina were helping me in their own ways but it seemed even with their help, she still had no intention of talking with me about what had happened. I would probably fail, but I had to try to get her to forgive me. I knew we were both wrong and had our own share of the blame, I was really emotional during that time and she... well, she was really being a bitch then and that added fuel to the flames. Tobe was just a civilian that was caught within the crossfire and I had already apologized to him thanks to Hina, and luckily he had accepted it without much of a hassle as he also apologized to me, much to Hina's delight.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

In other words, I believe that one should forgive, but never forget. Many life experiences had proven this quote to be the right thing to do. Forgiveness was a virtue but the way people perceived it was quite relative. Some people thought that certain actions were forgivable while others were not. Some people thought that forgiveness encouraged the wrongdoers to perform ill deeds repeatedly. Forgiveness was subjective and the act of forgiveness could have many meanings. The acceptance of an apology might be forgiveness for some, while helping the others who had hurt you to get out of the habit of ill-treatment may be a way for others.

The reason why I believed forgiveness was so greatly appreciated was because it was so hard to do. It took a strong person to pick fights and to talk about others, but to confront someone face-to-face and say sorry took an even stronger person; someone who could withstand and feel ashamed for their past actions. But forgiveness was of course earned from the one whom you did wrong.

I've only said I've forgiven Yuigahama and Yukinoshita... I didn't say they've earned it, rather earning forgiveness was a whole different story that I knew...

As I arrived at school, I parked my bike by the racks and went on to the classroom. I sat down on my desk as I started to think of ways on how to approach Miura. I laid my hands on my desk and rested my head on them as I kept on thinking but to no avail. I decided to sleep since I was thirty minutes early and there were only a few people in class, so I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. After a while, I was awakened by Hina, beside her stood Tobe.

"Morning Hikigaya-kun!"

"Sup Hikigaya-bro!"

I stretched my arms and yawned before answering them.

"Morning Tobe and Hina, what time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"It's 7:00AM Hikigaya-kun. You look tired, maybe you didn't get enough sleep last night?" Hina asked me.

"Kind of, couldn't get something out of my mind."

"You mean you were thinking of how to talk to Yumiko?" Tobe asked me.

I nodded and looked over to her seat, not finding the girl in question.

"Don't worry Hikigaya-kun even, I'm scared of talking to her sometimes."

"Somtimes?" I asked Tobe.

"Well, always hehehe... Because Yumiko looks like she is always grumpy so I'm kind of scared of her."

"I know what you mean Tobe." I patted him on his shoulder as we both sighed out loud, causing Hina to giggle at us.

"But you know, she just looks like that. Once you get to know her she really is a good friend."

Before we could continue to chat the bell had rung and in came Hiratsuka-sensei. Tobe and Hina went back to their respective seats and after a few minutes in came Miura. Thank Lord she wasn't absent today, had I planned something for today then it would have all been in vain if she didn't show up.

I noticed that Miura seemed to be in a good mood today as she walked in the room smiling, I wonder what happened to her? Maybe Hayama said something to her? Nice Hayama, this was the only time I liked something you did! I'll try to approach her later during lunch, but before that I saw her glance shift towards me and as I expected her to glare at me like she did in the last few days, suprisingly she didn't. She still looked angry at me, but the intensity of it was clearly lower so I thanked whatever it was that put her in a good mood. I may even get a chance to talk to her today if all goes well.

Classes went by and before I knew it, it was already lunch. I looked over to Miura to find her chatting with Hina and Yuigahama. I took out my phone and texted Hina asking her to try and talk to Miura about what had happened with me before I leave the room. She replied saying she would try and commented that I might get across Miura today because she was in a good mood. I looked over to Hina and mouthed "thanks" before exiting and heading to the infirmary to eat lunch with Caren-san. Just after a couple of steps after I had left the room, I heard quick footsteps from behind me as someone said my name.

"Hachiman! Wait up."

"Hey Saki," I stopped and turned around to face her. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Yeah, can I have lunch with you and Caren-san? The rooftops are too hot today to eat there."

"Well I don't see any reason why not, and I think Caren-san will always welcome you there."

She seemed all too happy that she could eat lunch with us so we quickly went on our way.

A few minutes later after arriving in front of the infirmary, I knocked on the door before we entered. We found Caren-san behind her desk sleeping, I walked over to her side and gently shook her shoulder to wake her up.

"Caren-san, please wake up. It's time to eat."

Her eyes lazily opened and looked at me before she stretched her arms and back.

"Morning. I mean, afternoon to you, Hachi and Saki-chan."

"You didn't get enough sleep yesterday Caren-san?" Saki asked her.

"Yeah, I stayed up until two in the morning binge-watching some of my favorite shows."

"What were you watching?" I asked as I sat down in front of her desk.

"House M.D. seasons 1-4, I liked it so much that I didn't notice the time because I was having so much fun."

When she stood up and got some drinks for us I noticed her eyebags, she looked really tired from what she did. She then returned to her chair, and as we were about to eat saw Caren-san didn't have any food with her.

"You're not going to eat lunch?" She yawned and blinked a few times before answering.

"Nope Hachi, I'm still tired and I'm not that hungry. So I think I'll just sleep for now, you two just enjoy your meals then." She went over to one of the beds and pulled the curtains around it. I thought she was about to sleep but before I could take a bite from my food the curtains drew back a bit, her head peeping out from it.

"Hachi and Saki-chan, don't you two go doing naughty things while I'm sleeping, okay? And if you really can't restrain yourselves then keep it down and wear some protection." She winked at us before disappearing back behind the curtains. I saw that Saki was slightly blushing from what Caren-san had just said. She looked over to me and seemed really nervous, I just wanted to eat without this awkward atmosphere between us.

"Don't mind her Saki, lets just eat our lunch before it gets cold."

"Umm... O-okay Hachiman."

After that we ate in silence, while Saki occasionally glanced at me. I wondered what she was thinking so I asked.

"You keep looking at me when we started to eat, is something wrong?"

"I-i-i-t's nothing, H-H-Hachiman!" She stuttered while answering me. Was she really that nervous just because of what Caren-san had said? I may have looked like a creep, but I was not a pervert. I was a 100% gentleman and a certified sis-con!

"Are you sure?"

She nodded and quietly finished her food, excusing herself as it seemed she needed to do something before our next class started so she left the room before lunch ended. I was reading one of my books to pass the time when I Caren-san came out of the curtains. She looked better now that she had gotten some rest, she walked over to her desk and sat down.

"Say, Hachi..."

I put down my book as I looked over to her.

"Yes, what is it? You need something?"

"It's about yesterday."

I knew what she wanted to ask me but I played dumb.

"What about yesterday?"

"I know you didn't mean it when you said you forgave Yui-chan and Yuikino-san... So why did you say something like that?"

"..."

"Hachi?" She looked at me and her eyes told me she really wanted to know.

"Well I just said it because..."

"Because?"

"Well... Even I'm not sure as to why. I may have said it because I didn't like how they looked at me, like they won't be able to live peacefully if I didn't forgive them."

Caren-san just looked at me and listened to what I had to say.

"Well, you were right about me just saying I forgive them, forgiveness was sometimes given and sometimes you needed to earn it... And honestly, they don't deserve it in my opinion."

"You're really stubborn, you know that Hachi? But I hope you made the right choice."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine as it is." I looked at her and smiled to show the was no need to worry about me.

She looked at me intensely, but after a few seconds she sighed and smiled back as she came over to where I was to sit right next to me. She linked her arm around mine, I thought she was about to tease me again but I saw the sincere concerned expression on her face that she had only intended to comfort me.

"Okay , I'll believe you. Also I'm just reminding you that you have two days left to get that girl to forgive you okay."

"I know. She is in a good mood today so maybe I'll get the chance to talk to her later or tomorrow, so wish me luck."

"That's good to hear then. And you should probably return to your room Hachi, I don't want you running late because you stayed here too long." She pointed at the clock showing there were only five minutes remaining for lunch so I excused myself from her and returned to the room.

Once I got back I saw Hina was reading one of the books I had lent her and it seemed she was really into it. I went to my seat and as I sat down I saw Saki was already in hers, studying for our next class. I thought for a while and remembered that we have a quiz later on Science so I took out my science book and decided to read up on our topic last meeting.

I wasn't really good in this subject, but still I didn't want to get a bad grade later. The bell rang as it signalled the end of lunch so everybody in class went back to their seats, we were expecting our Science teacher to come in but to our surprise a different one entered and told us that our teacher wasn't feeling well today so he took the day off, leaving us some work to do for the meantime which was to study for the quiz that we were supposed to take today.

"You can group up with your friends if you want, but please keep your voices down."

The whole class answered in unision and some began to group up with their friends, turning their desks around to face each other. I saw that Miura went to her circle of friends and they had started to study, as for me I was in my seat studying by myself.

After ten minutes I felt I had only understood a little of our topic tomorrow, human anatomy. I took a small break as I saw that Saki was also studying alone, seeing that I decided to ask her for help. I stood up and went to the empty seat next to her, but before I sat down she had noticed me coming over to her.

"You needed something, Hachiman?"

"Are you good in Science, Saki?"

"Well I'm not that good, but I do understand it well."

"Can you teach me? I was studying for our quiz earlier but I really don't get some of the topics."

"So even you have subjects that you aren't good at, huh? I thought you were pretty smart."

"I'm not that smart, but it is true that Science is my worst subject, can you help me out?"

"Okay I'll help you out, but don't expect me to be a good teacher okay."

"Okay Saki, thanks for helping."

I sat down next to her as we began our little study session. Saki was really good on making me understand the lesson, her explanations were easier to understand than the textbook's and while we were studying she looked really happy while she helped me. The day went by quickly and now the bell had rung to signal the end of classes, students were now walking in the halls going out of the school. Before I could stand up from my seat I see Miura quickly left the room, after that Hina and Tobe came to me.

"Hikigaya-kun, you are lucky today since we are going to karaoke later and Miura is in a very good mood, when we were talking during lunch she told me some stuff about what happened between you two. If this continues, you could get a chance to talk to her tomorrow!"

"Well, that's good to hear Hina, but did she say why she was in a good mood today?"

"Hmm... Now that you mentioned it, she hasn't told us anything."

"Yeah, something good must have happened to her this morning, like she was able to walk with Hayato-kun, or she found some money along her way to school!" Tobe said.

It's more likely that Hayama was involved, I doubt Miura would be that happy with the money.

"Hina, if she is still in a good mood tomorrow, can you ask her to go to karaoke again?"

"I can do that, but why ?"

"Well, when you and Tobe ask her to go with you, I can wait in some place nearby and when she is in the room with you just text me so I can come over to you and hopefully we can talk."

"I like that setup Hikigaya-kun, would you like to talk to her in private? Like, should we leave the room?" Tobe asked.

"I think you two shouldn't leave the room, it's better for you two to be there so she won't feel uncomfortable with just us two there."

"Okay Hikigaya-kun, you can count on us to help you." Hina gave me a thumbs up.

"Good luck tomorrow Hikigaya-bro!" Tobe patted my back as he and Hina left the room.

I walked towards wthe infirmary and on my way I had been thinking. It seemed I have a shot with Miura tomorrow so I couldn't screw this up now. If we are able to talk and she did forgive me I had to thank Tobe and Hina for all their help, maybe I could ask them to go with me to the mall and treat them to food they like or something like that. It sounded like a great idea so I had to do my best tomorrow.

I arrived at the infirmary and quickly entered to help Caren-san out with checking the supplies, after that we took a short break and as I was just about to throw the can of Max Coffee in the trash bin she asked me something.

"Say, Hachi."

"Yes?"

"Why do you let me have my way with you when I do stuff that makes you uncomfortable? I know you can easily stop me if you don't like it, or maybe distance yourself."

I looked at her and gave her a smile.

"You really want to know Caren-san?"

She nodded and sat beside me.

"Well it's because you're a very precious friend to me and I respect you, Caren-san."

Caren-san appeared to be confused at my statement.

"Can you explain? I get the friend part but you respect me? If I recall, I didn't do anything big or important yet to earn your respect, right?"

"I respect you because when I quit my last club you came after me and comforted me, and now you are helping me to improve myself in your own ways also... "

"Also...?" Caren-san trailed off the same way I did.

"I'm... kind of used to it now." I blushed. As I faced her I saw a smug expression on her.

"So Hachi likes it when I tease you, eh? Don't worry, I'll try to hold back from time to time."

"You? Hold back? I might never live to see that day Caren-san."

We both laughed as we enjoyed each other's company. Right before we went home Caren-san said something to me.

"Hachi, next week I'll ask Yui-chan and Yukino-san to come over here and help us out, you don't have a problem with that right?"

"I don't have a problem working with them, but what will they help us with?"

"Well Yukino-san and Yui-chan will help me with some of the paperwork for the activity next week."

"Okay, but what will I do during that time?"

"Well, you will help us move some of the equipment, and you can record the data we get during the activity."

"Is it some kind of physical check up?"

"Yup, you're correct Hachi. We'll do it by class and I need you to come here early in the morning to help me. Don't worry about your classes Hachi, I already informed your teachers about you helping me and they all said you're excused on that day."

"Okay Caren-san, going to school to help you the whole day is better than me sitting in classes anyway."

We decided to call it a day left the school, and as always I escorted Caren-san all the way to her apartment. We said our good byes as she headed inside, I went straight home and quickly went to my room to change. I then received a text from Hina saying Miura agreed to go to karaoke again with her tomorrow. This got my hopes up and I thanked her for telling me as I asked her if she had already read some of the books I gave her. She said that she had already read half about the Epic of Gilgamesh and that she was rather interested in one of the books I gave her. I was about to ask her which one it was when I got another text from her excusing herself as she needed to run some errands.

If memory served correctly, I lent Hina three books: The Epic of Gilgamesh and two other light novels that were good romance stories. Maybe she was referring to the light novels? I'll ask her about it tomorrow when I talk to her again.

-Day 5-

I did the usual today: wake up early, run around the park, make breakfast then head out to school. As I was riding my trusty bike I was deep in thought thinking about what would happen later once I talk to Miura. There were two routes things could go to: she would listen forgive me, or she'd just ignore me later.

I knew she was still in a good mood later, but that didn't exactly mean she was looking forward to talking to me. Well, whatever would happen later, at least I know I tried.

While still on the way to school I saw Saki also riding her bike, I pedalled my way to her side as I greeted her.

"Morning Saki."

I saw the surprise in her face as she turned her head to me for a glance.

"Oh, morning to you too Hachiman."

"It's kinda rare to see you so early in the morning Saki, got home early from your part time job?"

"Yeah the owner was kind enough to let me go early when there were just a few customers left."

We chatted as we biked our way to Sobu. We both parked our bikes and went to the classroom together. When I entered the classroom Hina was already there reading the book I had lent her, Tobe was studying and Miura was in her seat fiddling with her phone. I went to my seat as did Saki and I went on over the parts that Saki had taught me yesterday.

While I was studying for Science I heard Tobe asking Hina to teach him about Modern Japanese. She agreed but she mentioned she wasn't that good in teaching some of the key parts that were in the test. As if on cue, I stood up from my seat and went to where they were.

"Morning Hina, Tobe. You need some help on Modern Japanese?"

"Uh, yeah Hikigaya-bro we have a quiz later, right? I'm like, in a pinch so help a brother out?"

"If that's alright, can you help me on some parts that are really hard to understand?"

"Okay, you two show me the parts you need help with." As I sat beside them I could feel Miura's gaze looking over at us. She must have been wondering what on earth I was doing along her friends without her in it.

I read the parts that Tobe and Hina didn't get and after a moment I simplified it so they could understand it easily. Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were now able to understand the parts and I saw that Miura wasn't glaring at me anymore. Well, it seemed that I may be able to talk to her later if this kept up so that's a big improvement. A few minutes right before the classes were about to start Tobe and Hina whispered to me.

"Thanks Hikigaya-bro, you're a life saver! Now I'm confident to take on that test later." Tobe patted my shoulder a bit roughly, his face beaming with excitement and confidence.

"Yeah we owe you one now Hikigaya-kun. As thanks, perhaps I may implore you to read some of my BL books? I promise you'll like it hehe..." The air around Hina seemed to shift as her grin grew wider, a soft chuckle escaping from it.

"No problem you two, don't mention it. And no Hina, no thanks. I'm not that interested in that stuff."

"Aww... If you say so, but you don't know what your missing, and that's half of your life Hikigaya-kun." Hina said as she returned to her seat, so did Tobe.

When Hiratsuka-sensei came in the room she quickly went to the teacher's desk and gave out the questions for the test. As I expected with Sensei's test it was rather difficult if you didn't review for it, but fortunately this subject was my forte so I confidently answered the test. I finished it rather quickly, I stood up and handed my paper.

"Oh? Finished so fast, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Yes sensei, it wasn't that hard for me, but I don't think that's the case for the other students." I looked at my classmates and the majority of them were still answering the test with troubled looks.

"I already expected you to finish it early, but I don't think I made the test that hard."

"It is easy if they listened to you Sensei, unlike them I always listen to you and I never get bored of your classes."

Sensei looked a little shocked on what I said and her cheeks were tinged a rosy red, she blinked a couple of times and then she took my paper.

"I-is that so, Hikigaya-kun? Then thank you for feeling that way, it means a lot to us teachers."

"No problem Sensei."

I headed back to my seat and I sat on my chair. I looked over to Saki, Hina and Tobe. Saki and Hina seemed okay on their tests, Tobe too seemed to be doing fine as he answered the test. I hoped they all get good grades as well.

I got my book on Science and started reading up on the topic that was to be on the test later, focusing on it I hadn't realized that class had already finished taking the test. Hiratsuka-sensei organized the papers and bid goodbye to our class and went out.

The day passed by quickly and it was already lunch time when I realized it I got a text from Hina, she had already invited Miura later to go to the mall with them and she said yes to Hina. I texted her back my thanks for helping me to get to talk to her, I was about to go to the infirmary when Saki came over to my seat.

"Hey, Hachiman?"

"Yo?"

"Well, can I come with you to the infirmary?"

"You have business with Caren-san?"

"Yeah, I'd like to ask Caren-san for tips later on our quiz."

I stared at Saki for a while and mentally wanted to punch myself for not thinking of that.

Despite her attitude, she was a good nurse and of course she had to know about the anatomy of the human body, it would really be great if she could help us study later. We both headed on towards the infirmary and when we got there we informed Caren-san about the test later, she agreed to help us out on our subject but she asked Saki a favor prior to that.

"Saki-chan, are you busy with something next week?"

"No Caren-san, I'm not that busy,"

"Well can you help us out?"

Caren-san told Saki about what we were going to do, she explained why she needed help especially when they would do the measurements for the girls. Saki understood and she agreed on helping us so we quickly ate our lunch and as soon as we are finished Caren-san helped us study for the test later. She was good at explaining the parts that we didn't get, and she emphasized the parts that were likely to be in the test. After our little study session, she wished us both good luck on our tests.

"Hachi before you go, I know we already have three people to help us but I think we need one more person to help us out with your part next week. Do you know anyone else that's free?"

As I thought for a moment, two names came to mind.

"I think I can ask Hina or Tobe later Caren-san."

"Okay then."

We were about to leave the room when I heard her call my name again. Saki and I stopped, as she quickly went in front of me she kissed me on the cheek, then the same for her.

"There, I both gave you my own version of good luck charms, now you don't have any reason to fail that test, okay?"

She then pushed us out of the room and closed the door on us. We both looked at each other and noticed we were blushing, we just smiled because of a certain nurse's good luck charm and proceeded to return to our classroom. Once there we used the remaining time to review and after a few minutes the teacher came in and we immediately started the test.

I was kind of nervous, but I already did my best to study so now I had to get a good grade. I skimmed our test first and read some of the questions which to my surprise wasn't that hard. The study session with Saki and Caren-san really had paid off.

I first answered the questions that I was sure on then went back to those I had some trouble with. After a grueling hour of answering the test I gave my paper to the teacher in front and returned to my seat, I was very satisfied with my answers and I thought it was enough for me to pass. I found that all the stress from studying for the test disappeared and now I only had one task left at hand.

I soon saw Saki, Hina and Tobe pass their papers and it looked like they did okay judging from their expressions. I laid back and relaxed until the end of the last period. Miura was in a hurry to leave, after she went out the classroom Hina came to me.

"We are going to meet two hours later at the mall Hikigaya-kun, I'll just text you where to go okay?"

"Okay, and thanks for helping me."

Hina and Tobe left the room as I headed on to the infirmary. I was about to go there but felt thirsty so I made a turn for the vending machine to buy some Max Coffee. Back on the way to the infirmary I saw Saki was also going there, I greeted her as I made my way by her side.

"Afternoon Saki."

"Afternoon Hachiman."

"How was the test earlier for you?"

"It wasn't that hard, it was rather okay."

"Maybe because we studied for it and Caren-san helped us?"

"Yeah and that too... By the way, this is the last day for you to talk and get Miura's forgiveness, right?" She looked at me and her eyes showed me she was worried for me.

"Yup, Hina will text me later where they will meet and after Miura is with them that's the time I can go there so we can talk."

"You think she'll talk to you later?"

"I don't really know, but in the past few days she wasn't glaring at me so much... I think I have a slight chance."

"Want me to come with you? I'll accompany you while you wait for Hina to text you."

"You sure about that Saki? Who would pick up Keika from her nursery then?"

"My little brother will get her so it's okay for me to go with you."

"Then I'd appreciate that, thank you." Her cheeks turned slightly pink.

"No problem Hachiman."

As we got to the infirmary I told Caren-san about what was going to happen later and that Saki would accompany me while I wait for Hina's signal. When she heard that she gave Saki a smug expression and whispered something to her that made her whole face blush. I had no idea tomatoes could be so cute...

Caren-san quickly kicked us out of the room as she said that there was really nothing for us to do there, so Saki and I ended up deciding to go to the mall to wait.

"Enjoy your date with Hachi, Saki-chan! Hehehe." She then winked at Saki.

"It's not a date. She will just accompany me while I wait for Hina's signal."

"No Hachi, it is a date. A girl and a boy, going to the mall by themselves, enjoying each other's company... That's what a 'date' is, isn't it?"

Before I could make my rebuttal she had already shut the door.

I looked at Saki as we both walked the way to the mall. She hasn't said a word since, perhaps it was because of what Caren-san had said to us. When we got to the mall I suggested that we go to the food court because I was a little hungry, she didn't have any objections so we went there and bought myself some fries. I got the big bowl of it and put it on our table, then gave her one of the drinks that was with my order and she proceded to drink. After a few minutes Saki asked me something while I was reading one of my books to pass the time.

"What will you do if she doesn't talk to you later?"

"If she doesn't then it's okay Saki, I'll glady accept what Caren-san has for me as punishment."

"She deserved that if you ask me, she was being a bitch in my opinion and I really don't like her."

"I understand how you feel Saki, but let's just talk about other things."

"Sorry..." She apologized, shifting our conversation to about our younger siblings. Saki's serious expression disappeared from her face and it was replaced with a really warm, sisterly smile as she talked about how she took care of Keika when she was younger. We both enjoyed our time together just chatting and after an hour of waiting Hina finally texted me the place where they would meet. I said my goodbye to Saki as I headed off to the second floor of the mall.

I saw Hina was there waiting for me so I walked over to her. She greeted me and we both went to the room where she and Tobe were waiting for Miura. Tobe greeted me and handed a can of soda while we wait for Miura, Hina then got the mic and sang some song I wasn't familiar with.

I really wasn't updated with the latest songs today but it was really flashy. Tobe then got the mic and decided to sing a song after Hina finished hers, I got one of my books out and proceeded to read while Hina and Tobe enjoyed themselves. An hour of waiting Hina got worried because Miura was late, so she excused herself to go outside and call her friend. As she left the room I continued to read my book while Tobe was busy singing. after a while she went back inside and she looked rather shocked and sad. It made me worried so I asked if something had happened to Miura.

"Sorry Hikigaya-kun, she won't be coming here... She and her family are on a trip right now, they are already on the train."

I was relieved to know that nothing bad had happened to Miura, but it made me a little dissapointed as I decided to comfort Hina.

"It's not your fault Hina, so don't worry about it."

"But if I knew that they would go on a trip today I could have made you two talk earlier..."

"It's okay, we were all waiting for the right time and we weren't expecting this, so don't be too hard on yourself, okay?" I reassured her.

Hina looked at me as she nodded there were still disappointment in her eyes, Tobe noticed Hina so he stopped what he was doing and went to our side.

After explaining to him what had happened we decided to go home, Tobe accompanied Hina as I walked home alone.

Some time later I got a text from Caren-san saying she had gotten wind of what had happened and she decided not to punish me anymore because of the circumstances. It made me happy that I wasn't going to be punished, but something kept bothering me. I wished I could have talked to Miura, it was okay if she didn't forgive me but most importantly I didn't want Hina and Tobe's efforts going to waste.

 **AN**

 **Sorry it was a bit late but here it is as always a big thanks to thatguywhowrote for betareading.**

 **My answer to all the criticism and reviews that have meaning:**  
 **I am glad that you gave me your opinion about this chapter and I respect your views on what you said but these are the things that I wanted to portray:**

 **1\. I know what you mean that Yumiko was totally a bitch and Hachiman shouldn't apologize to her but there was still a better way deal with the situation with her. Respect should be earned yes but it doesn't mean you have to do something real terrible to that person that has wronged you show them you are a way better person than they are don't stoop down to their level. Regardless of gender you should respect the person like Kazuma from Konosuba said "I yearn for true gender equality. I have no patience for one who talks about female privilege when it suits them, and then complains about someone "not being a man" when it's convenient." I'd also like to put here the one where he says about the drop kick to the face but I couldn't find it, if anyone knows that quote tell me in the reviews and if you're the first to do that I may give you a prize.**

 **2\. I already knew that some of you won't like this chapter and about Hachiman forgiving Yui and Yukino in the last chapter I think some of us already have a similar experience like this you said you forgave someone but deep down you know that was just for show it wasn't real that was the image I was going for but it seems most of you didn't get it.**

 **To those who said they would stop reading there is nothing I can do, it's your choice.**

 **To the reviews without meaning and are just bitching around:**  
 **Don't read if you don't like it.**

 **Ichigo Oga: There is already a explanation about Hachiman forgiving Yui and Yukino. Don't worry about Saki she will have lots of time with Hachiman.**

 **wildarms13: See my AN about the forgiveness part on the two. She is tsundere but not for Hachiman that is for sure.**

 **FlashFalcon: Mark her territory? Hmm... Maybe. maybe not? Read on my friend to find out.**

 **Spanish Guest: Me alegra que te haya gustado y habrá más momentos de Hachiman y Saki aquí.(I used google translate here so sorry if it sounds wrong.)**

 **Next Chapter will be Hina and Saki's POV and a little bit of Yumiko's as well.**

 **I will also be doing the next chapter of YahaSwitch until my partner gets a good schedule for his work.**

 **That is all so see you again next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

_-Saki's POV (morning)-_

I woke up around 5:30 AM, even though today was a weekend I still had to prepare early for the day. I first went to the bathroom to wash my face so I could completely wake up. After that I headed on over to the kitchen to whip us up some breakfast as my parents would not be getting up any time soon since their work always kept them out late. Once I was done cooking I set the table ready for me and my younger siblings, the first one up was Taishi.

"Good morning Nee-san." He softly greeted as he entered the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning Taishi."

"Do you need help with anything?"

"Well the table is already set, so could you wake the others for me? We can't let breakfast get cold."

Taishi came up to my side to see the scrambled eggs and fried rice I had cooked. With a nod he went out and called out the rest of our siblings to eat. After a while I saw them one by one coming in.

"Good morning Illya, Kuro and Kei-chan."

"Morning Onee-chan!" They all answered in unison and rushed to give me a hug.

"Alright, that's enough love for me. You can go on and sit down while I get these there." The three girls let go and made their way to the table with the twins helping Kei-chan get up her chair.

Kuro was the younger one of the twins, she had long silver hair like mine but with a hue of pink, and her eyes were amber in color. She was the athletic one of the two and because of her love for sports her pale white skin had become tanned in being under the sun so frequently. She was also on the mischievous side, unlike Illya whom sat beside her with her head on the table.

Illya had silver blonde hair and a pale complexion, her eyes were ruby red in color. She absolutely loved to read, sometimes she would be too indulged with her book that it'd take a few times to call out to her.

I placed the food down and gently patted Illya's head to wake her up. Once she saw the food before she quickly sat up straight and her eyes sparkled at the sight.

"Itadakimasu~" We all said together before digging in.

The twins were definitely hungry with the way they immediately went for the fried rice. The satisfied looks on their faces was really something an older sister could never have enough of.

"Onee-chan this is really good!" Illya said.

"Yeah, you'll surely be a good wife someday."

 _'A good wife, huh?'_ I entertained the thought in my head, with me standing in front of the altar awaiting for my groom, a certain loner entering through the church doors and walking along the aisle, making his way towards me. We'd have a big family like this I thought, and a nice house where my siblings could come any time they wanted to so they could play with my children.

I hadn't noticed that I had been spacing out when I was brought back to reality by Taishi.

"Onee-chan, are you okay? You've been staring into space for a while now, with a creepy smile too."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about... something."

"By the way Onee-chan, you should eat quickly. The food's almost gone." He then pointed at our table for me to see that Illya and Kuro had already eaten most of the food.

"Ah-!" The sight of the remainder of our meal fully woke me up from my daydreams. Without a moment to spare I grabbed myself some food and finally ate.

* * *

Done with breakfast, Taishi went to wash the dishes with the twins helping him put them away. Keika asked for my help with her homework so I told her to bring them downstairs at the living room. Waiting for her to return Kuro approached me and asked something.

"Nee, Onee-chan?"

"Hmm? What is it Kuro?"

"I just noticed that within these last two weeks you've been in a really good mood. Did something happen?"

"What do you mean 'good mood'? I'm always in a good mood."

"Well, in the past when we wait for you to come after your part-time job, you always go straight to sleep. But lately whenever you come home you seem to have more energy. You even helped us do our homework and sometimes you cook food for us. Not to mention you've been smiling more often..."

I smiled and patted her head.

"Well, isn't my little sister really smart?"

I never noticed that recently I had been smiling more when I was at home...

Well it's probably because I got to talk with Hachiman more often. I did enjoy our little chats and of course, his company. The mere thought of that made me grin, what's more was that I didn't realize both that, and that Kuro had been eyeing me curiously.

"Is it because of a boy?"

"W-What are you s-saying, Kuro?" I blushed as I stuttered on my response.

"Oh~ Now I get it..." My little sister playfully ran around the room as she sang in delight, "Onee-chan has a boyfriend! Onee-chan is in love!"

I tried to run after her to stop her, but it was too late; my other siblings had heard Kuro and came out of their rooms.

"Is that true Ku-chan?" Illya asked while she held a book and Kuro quickly hid behind her.

"Yes it's true, Illya-chan!" She said as she passed her twin during her run to escape my grasp.

"Hmm? What's this about Onee-chan being in love, Kuro?"

"It's not true! And it's none of your business Taishi!" I stopped and glared at him in an attempt to scare him away, but before he could return to his room Kuro quickly got beside him and whispered something to his ear. After that he grinned with a smug look at me as if he knew who this was about. He then proceeded to walk back to his room, but before he closed the door he spared some last words.

"I'm okay with him being your boyfriend Onee-chan, he may look kinda scary but Keika likes him and he really is a good guy after all."

After hearing that Kuro once again squealed at the top of her lungs as she banged at Taishi's door.

"O-Onii-sama, you and Kei-chan have met this person? Please, do tell me more about him, I'm curious!"

Before Taishi could tell her anything I quickly grabbed and lifted her off her feet so she couldn't run away from me anymore. Carrying her off to my room she struggled a bit, but eventually stopped after growing tired. On the way to my room Illya watched me curiously and ended up coming with me to my room.

After locking the door, I gently put Kuro down on my bed and sat next to her, Illya sat to my left and Kuro was on my right with very expectant eyes. The two stared at me waiting for an explanation, their eyes alone told me that there was no backing out of this one.

I really didn't want to tell the twins about Hachiman now, but knowing the two if I didn't tell them they would probably go to my school and search for him on their own, so I decided to explain it to them from when he first helped me out until now. The two listened to me intently and after telling them the things that had happened up to date, the two got off my bed and onto their feet.

"Onee-chan, you have our blessing and we want to meet him ASAP!" They said altogether, giving me their thumbs-up.

"Look you two, we aren't still a couple. You know that, right?"

"Well, with things as they are right now... I think you two have a chance to become one!" Illya said while she held my hand.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Because according to your story, you are the one of the girl he trusts right now, plus he lets his guard down around you Onee-chan, so Illya and I both wish you well."

 _'He "lets his guard down" around me?'_ I thought he was just comfortable around me because I was also a loner like him. But if my little sisters said so then they must have seen something I didn't.

"Thanks for your support you two, and maybe next time when he comes here you can meet him." I smiled at them and patted both their heads.

"Okay, we'll look forward to meeting this boy fufufu..." Kuro remarked before she and Illya looked at each other and grinned. The two then laughed suspiciously as they exited my room.

 _'Hachiman, I'm sorry if my little sisters will cause trouble for you the next time you come over...'_ I sighed to myself at the thought of whatever the two girls were up to. _'But knowing that sis-con, he can pretty much handle them. I'll just do my best to prevent them from saying anything weird.'_ I went out of my room to find that Keika was waiting for me, I forgot that I had promised to help her with her assignment

"Sorry Keika, I was just talking to the twins about something. Did I make you wait long?"

"Nope, I just got all my assignments with me. Can you help me now?"

"Alright Keika, I'll help you out with those now." We went downstairs back to our living room. We quickly finished her assignments as they were just simple stuff like color the ones that were different from the other objects or fill in the blanks with the correct word. After helping her she gave me a big hug and thanked me for everthing. Keika then packed her things and went back upstairs to put them away in her bag. Once again alone I remembered what had happened yesterday.

I had called Hina and asked her on what had happened between Hachiman and Miura. She told me nothing was done as her friend went on a trip with her family. I was worried about Hina and Hachiman, her especially because she sounded a little disappointed when she went out of her way to set them up, only to fail because she didn't know that Miura had plans.

All I had to say to her was that it wasn't not her fault and that Hachiman would never hold that against her. We talked for a while longer and it seems I somehow managed to cheer her up a little. She then said she was reading something and that she had to get back to it so she bid goodbye before hanging up. After the call I wanted to contact Hachiman to see if he was fine too, but I thought I should let him be for the meantime.

I also remembered that this meant he had failed on the task Caren-san gave him... Will he still get punished today? I hope not.

* * *

 _-Hina's POV (afternoon)-_

I woke up to the heat of the sun and wondered what time it was. I had slept in late last night from enjoying the book Hikigaya-kun lent me. I glanced at the clock to see it was already 10:00 AM already.

I got too carried away reading the book from him called the Epic of Gilgamesh I really enjoyed it, especially the part Gilgamesh and Enkidu wrestled each other. It gave me some ideas and positions for a new BL story in mind hehehe...

Before I could let my imagination run wild my stomach rumbled so I got up my bed and fixed it up. I washed my face then went to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to look at what was inside. There were some chicken and sushi wrapped up with a note on the side with my name on it. It said both mother and father had some work to do today so I was all alone.

"Thanks, mom." I said to myself.

I got the plate and took off the plastic wrapper around it before putting it in the microwave to heat it up. Waiting for it to finish I remembered what had happened yesterday.

I know Hikigaya-kun was right when he said it wasn't my fault, and I didn't know that Yumiko and her family would have a trip. I should have noticed it, or at least asked her so that I could have made arrangements so Yumiko and Hikigaya-kun could meet and talk earlier. I also remembered him saying that if he failed, he would be punished by Caren-san...

I already told her about what had happened yesterday and she just replied with "thanks for helping Hikigaya-kun" so I hope he wouldn't be in trouble. I could make it up to him by... lending him some of my books in return? But my books are mainly about my hobby. Maybe I can lend him some, but not the hardcore ones?

After eating I got to my bookshelf and picked out the books that I could have him read. I had to choose the books that had more emphasis on story than romance since I knew he didn't like these kinds of titles.

Or maybe I could make him try some out and get his opinion later... If he does start to like these types of books then maybe I can actually see a HachixHayama development in reality!

But before I could delude myself with that ship I suddenly remembered how Tobe and Hikigaya-kun were so friendly yesterday!

How Tobe sat beside Hikigaya-kun while they discussed something, how their eyes sparkled while talking to each other it look so intimate with me I hereby make a new ship!

HachiXTobe!

I wonder who will be top... Maybe Hikigaya-kun? He is handsome despite his eyes and he has a mysterious vibe around him. Cool and mysterious he can definitely be top!

But wait Tobe can also be a good top! He is kind, friendly and easy to talk with so maybe he can thaw Hikigaya-kuns cold exterior and make him awkward while he gets his heart!

There are so many possible scenario's with those two I can't pick one!

*Due to her fujoshi nature a lot blood spurted out of her nose and she lost consciousness while imagining Hikigaya-kun and Tobe spooning.*

After recovering and half an hour of picking I finally picked out two books. I quickly put them in my bag so as not to forget before returning to Hikigaya-kun's book to read.

When I finished the Epic of Gilgamesh an hour later, I remembered that I still had one more book from him that I haven't read. I stood up from my bed to fetch it, its cover was two beautiful girls holding hands and their faces were really close to each other, staring passionately at each other.

"Hmm... So Hikigaya-kun is into _this_ kind of stuff?" I asked myself. Hikigaya-kun never struck me to be the type to fantasize about these things.

The title of the book was "Citrus" and while I wasn't a fan of this genre, if Hikigaya-kun recommended it then it should be worthwhile to read.

 _'_ _There's no harm in trying.'_ I thought as I went back to bed and got myself comfortable to read his book.

* * *

-Yumiko's POV (evening)-

 _'_ _That trip was so worth it!'_

I plopped down on my bed, tired as we had just gotten back from our hot spring trip. I felt so much refreshed after all that had happened lately, I really deserved that.

I noticed my phone was dead so I took out my charger and plugged it to the outlet at my bedside, and while waiting for it to power up I suddenly realized something.

Last week, Hina and Tobe had been hanging out more often with Hikio... It didn't bother me that much, but I did wonder why Tobe would hang out with him after he had said all those mean things to him, and it seemed that they were actually in good terms because he had helped Hina and Tobe pass the test last week.

Hina was also acting strange last week, every time we went out she would always ask me about Hikio and what had happened to us. At first I didn't want to talk about it because that would just spoil my mood, but eventually I gave in to her curiosity and told her about what had happened. She was my friend after all, there was no harm in telling her.

After that, I thought she'd finally stop throwing me questions but... She then asked me some weird questions like, "what if we and Hikio talked it out" or "will I agree to talk to Hikio if he asks me to forgive him?" And when I asked her what her motives where, she shrugged them off as "what-if" questions and nothing more.

I stared at the ceiling, deep in thought on what Hina had said. My response to her was that "that would be impossible as that guy won't even bother thinking of apologizing." But now that I pondered over it more seriously, if it did happen...

Well, if it did happen then I'll just listen to him. I won't say anything at all and let him say what he wanted, it would be too hard to forgive him if just a day had passed after that had happened.

As I rose up from my bed I saw that my phone's battery was already half-full. With the usual ringtone chiming as I turned it on, I waited for a few minutes as it booted up.

There were the usual notifications from my social media accounts, some junk mail in my inbox as well. Scrolling through the items I was deleting I then caught sight of Hina and Tobe's texts.

They were from yesterday, and based on the time it was after-school when they sent it to me. It seemed that Hina wanted to go to karaoke again and I stood her and Tobe up without knowing. I forgot to tell her yesterday about my trip that I can't come, I had to apologize to my friends.

I tried to call Hina first, but I couldn't connect to her phone, like it was turned off. After a few attempts but to no avail, I opted to call Tobe. The dial tone rang a few times before the sound of his voice came through.

"Yo, Tobe speaking. What's up Yumiko?"

"Hey Tobe, I called you since I didn't know you went to karaoke with and Hina yesterday. I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you two about my family's trip."

"No biggie Yumiko, but I do think you should like talk to Hina about this. She was real down in the dumps yesterday, and y'know how she gets when she's all sad."

Hina was _that_ upset that I couldn't come? It was just karaoke, we could always go whenever we wanted to. It wasn't like her at all to be like that. Maybe something was up?

"Alright I'll call Hina after this, but tell me; did something happen yesterday?" For a while Tobe was silent, as if he was choosing his words.

"Nope, nothing really happened yesterday that's worth mentioning. We sorta just went home after an hour of waiting. Anyway I have to go now Yumiko, I have to help at our shop. See ya!"

"Okay, later then." I wasn't really convinced about what Tobe had said so I called Hina again, but she still didn't answer any of my calls.

Was she avoiding me? Could it be she was mad since I couldn't come? But it can't be, right? Something small of a deal like that wouldn't be enough push her to ignore me like this, I'm sure she'd understand.

I tried to call her again, but like my previous attempts I still couldn't reach her. Since I had no other option I sent her an apology via mail and asked if we could talk about it on Monday, and if she wanted to we could go to karaoke then so that I could make it up to her.

 _'_ _I bet she is just so into one of her books again, that's why she hasn't noticed her phone had been turned off.'_ I told myself, hoping it were in fact the case.

I then heard my parents call my name. It was already time to eat so I laid my phone down and went out of my room.

 _'_ _I'll try calling her again after dinner,'_ I said to myself.

* * *

 _-Hachiman's POV (evening)-_

"Claudia-san, why did you do that earlier? You didn't have to act like that."

"Hikigaya-kun, she was being rude to you. What do you expect me to do, just smile at her? Also she interrupted us." She pouted as she took a big bite from her burger, then gave me a look that said "I'm hungry and angry so don't disturb me."

 _'_ _Just like Kamakura, heh.'_ I gave up on trying to talk about it, but before I could take a bite from my burger Claudia-san asked me.

"So, did you really confess to that girl in the past?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Can't say I see the reason why you liked her."

"That was my fault. I misread her kindness and hastily jumped to conclusions, resulting to my downfall."

"You know Hikigaya-kun, from what I've heard you have many pretty girls around you, yet it seems that you seem to attract strange ones. Are you into that kind of stuff?"

 _'_ _Strange women?'_ She was kind of right as I thought of the girls I knew.

Firstly was Yukinoshita Yukino, with her strange obsession to cats and her inferiority complex about her chest, Iroha with her slyness and how she hides her true nature from almost everyone. Hiratsuka-sensei was an otaku and despite her beauty, she remained to be single to this very day, Saki looked like a delinquent but in reality was a really loving and caring elder sibling, Can I even consider Yuigahama strange? her being a airhead is normal... Then I remembered her cooking skills, she can't make anything decent even if you supervise her every move she somehow makes them into some kind of aberrations... Just remembering the cookies she first gave me then gave my whole body chills. Then tied at the top were Yukinoshita Haruno and Caren-san, both were beautiful women indeed, but both had twisted personalities. It was like they loved to manipulate people to do their work, though I trust Caren-san unlike with Haruno, whenever we'd meet I felt always on the edge and uncomfortable around her.

Before I could think of more things I was brought back to reality by Claudia-san.

"Heeey, Hikigaya-kun? You should quickly eat your food, it's getting cold."

"U-umm, yeah."

I proceeded to eat my food quietly while my thoughts wondered to the events of today. After helping her at the clinic today, Caren-san asked me to accompany her mother to the mall so she could relax herself. It seemed that last week she had been exhausted and this would help her release some of that built-up stress of hers.

I asked her if she would join us but she said she had some matters to deal with, so after work Caren-san and I went to her apartment so I could go with Claudia-san to the mall after a quick rest at her place.

After a quick bite we headed back to her apartment, while we were walking we stumbled upon Caren-san who was buying stuff for their dinner later. Joining with her to the trip back to their place I received a text from Komachi saying that I should buy half a kilo of pork chop that she would be using for dinner, so I excused myself from the two and headed over to the nearest convenience store.

Grocery in hand I made my way home when I recalled what had happened yesterday. I wanted to know if Hina was now feeling okay, I tried calling her but I couldn't connect to her phone so I texted her asking her if she liked the books I lent her.

Once I arrived home I gave Komachi the pork chops and went to my room to change my clothes. I laid in bed in wait for her to finish cooking, then I remembered Claudia-san would tell Caren-san what had happened today and she would surely ask me questions about Orimoto on Monday.

Guess there was no use hiding stuff from her, I should just tell her everything to get it over with.

Before I could get a book from the shelf to read I heard Komachi calling me as dinner was done. I went out of my room and helped with setting up our table.

"So, how's your day been Onii-chan?"

"Same boring stuff, as always." I answered half-heartedly, not wanting to let her know how Claudia-san had gone apeshit on Orimoto.

With a grunt of disapproval at my lack of conversational skills, she held off any more questions and proceeded to dine with me quietly. I was in charge of the dishes today so Komachi went ahead of me for a bath, I went back to my room to read some of my light novels.

I was about to read "Citrus" since I had it forever stocked in my shelves, but I couldn't find the first volume. I looked around for it in my room for nearly half an hour but I still couldn't find it.

'Meh. This is hopeless.' I fell on my bed face-first, tired of my search. Maybe I misplaced it somewhere else in the house. Since I was too lazy to move around and already tired out, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 **Short AN**

 **Here we go again! A new chapter and two new characters! Illya and Kuro I used them because I watched some** **Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei! again** **and I didn't have any ideas on Saki's two other siblings so I used those two to fill that role.**

 **I tried to give you different POV from different characters hope you liked it.**

 **As always thanks to thatguywhowrote for betareding this!**

 **Btw I'm now working on the next chapter of Yahaswitch I'll give you a hint on what its about:**

 **I hate nice girls - Hikigaya Hachiman then I'll give him a "Not so nice girl"**

 **Leave some reviews if you like and see you next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

_**-HachiMom's PoV-**_

As I woke up from sleep I looked to my side and saw my husband still sleeping beside me. He still looked the same after all these years we've been together, though his face had aged a bit he was still as handsome as I first met him.

I carefully got out of our bed and stretched my arms to wake myself up. After that I headed outside and as I closed the door I saw my son getting out from his room.

He was in his track suit again. I had heard from Komachi before that he had started to run this early in the morning, but this was the first time I actually ever saw him so I was a little bit surprised. Whatever caused this change in my son it's a good one, that much I can see from his face. He was livelier than before and seemed happier these days so I greeted him as I went to his side.

"Morning Hachiman." Once he heard me he looked at me and returned my greeting.

"Morning Mom. Why are you up so early? You and dad don't have work today right?" He asked as we went down the stairs together.

"Yup, we have our off today. You going for your morning run then?"

"Yeah, wanna join me?" I would love to join him but sadly my body was still tired from a week's worth of work.

"Sorry, maybe next time dear. I just want to relax and enjoy my day so be careful on your run okay, Hachiman? Don't go running into cars again." I kissed him on his forehead which made him blush. He then nodded and he went off for his run.

I was about to make some coffee but decided to go with some milk from the fridge instead, I put some in a mug and heat it up in the microwave. While waiting I heard a door open from upstairs, and judging from those heavy footsteps it wasn't my daughter. As the microwave pinged as it finished heating my mug of milk I saw my husband entering the kitchen and sitting beside me.

"Morning Honey." I kissed him as I went to get my drink.

"Morning too dear, could you make me some coffee?" He requested while his head laid on our table, needing his caffeine for the daily jolt of energy. I brewed him his beloved coffee, me taking some sips from my warm milk as I finished his. While the coffeemaker did its magic, I prepared some breakfast by frying some bacon and garlic rice.

"Want me to help you?" He asked. The offer was appreciated, but I could see the look in his eyes that he was too weary to be cooking anything properly at the moment.

"I'm fine by myself here, but you can heat up the leftover miso soup from yesterday."

"Did Hachiman go off on one of his early morning runs?" He asked as he went with the task I had given him.

"Yeah, I saw him leave earlier. I'm glad his laziness is starting to go away and he looks a lot livelier now."

"Now that you mention it, he does... I'm glad for him and Shiki, so when are we going to tell them about our trip?"

I really didn't want to talk about this issue so early in the morning, but my husband was right. It was important to tell our kids about it at some point.

"Give me a couple of days Mikiya, I'm still not ready to tell the kids about that. I want to spend some time with them before we go."

"Okay, but remember we only have three weeks before we leave so you better tell them then, okay?" He then took today's newspaper and began to read.

My husband was right, we needed to tell them right away about us having to go abroad for work. We would be gone for two years, but every four months one of us can come back here for a week, so it's not like we'll never see them in that entire time span. There was one problem that I wanted to resolve, when we leave I didn't want them to live by themselves. I wanted someone to act as their guardian while we were away, someone who we could trust, someone Hachiman and Komachi would be comfortable living with. I hope they wouldn't get angry at us as we're doing this for their sake. I hope they'd listen to me when I tell them about it.

Once I was done cooking my husband and I ate by ourselves when we heard the door open. Hachiman had returned from his morning run and was covered in sweat. Before he went up to take a bath I told him breakfast was ready.

"Okay mom, I'll just wash myself before I sit down and eat. I also have to leave early since I have a few things to do at school."

"Okay dear, what are you going to do later at school by the way?"

"I'm currently helping at the school clinic now and we need a few extra hands with the physical inspection tomorrow. I just have to ask some people if they can help out."

"You are now helping with the clinic? Is this one of your service club activities?" Upon mentioning the service club, he look visibly disturbed.

"No Mom, I quit that club some time ago... Now I'm helping Caren-san at the clinic, and frankly speaking I like it there better than my last club."

I saw his expression turn from sour into a softer one when he had said that name. I rarely ever saw him smile like that so I was both shocked and happy for him.

"Okay then Hachiman, be careful on your way to school later." He then headed up to take a bath as I put our dishes in the sink, all the while a single thought couldn't leave my mind...

Who was this "Caren" and how did she help my Hachiman? I'm curious about her because I haven't seen him act this happy in a while. I had heard of her from Komachi and it seemed Hachiman was very comfortable around her.

As I finished washing the dishes Komachi entered the dining room still half-asleep in her pajamas. She sat down at the table as I greeted her.

"Morning dear." I patted her head gently, trying to wake her up. She seemed to enjoy it as she hummed with a very satisfied and happy expression.

"Morning Mom!" She then stretched her arms up over her head.

"Komachi."

"Yes Mom?"

"Can you tell Mom how you met that Caren-san? And what she's like?" She tilted her head at first, but as she ate breakfast she told me of how she met that woman and what she thought of her.

"Hmm… She's a rather interesting individual."

"Yup! She really is~ I hope you two can meet, and I hope you can see how she treats Onii-chan."

"Well, if she can handle your brother like that then all the more that I want to meet her."

I heard Hachiman coming down the stairs, he was already dressed in his school uniform and was about to eat breakfast. I handed him a cup of coffee, but unlike his father's taste somehow he likes it very, very sweet.

"Thanks Mom."

"No problem dear, and after you two eat clean up the table, okay?"

"Yes." They both answered in unison. Before I left I went behind Komachi and whispered to her.

"Thanks for telling Mom about that _stuff_ earlier Komachi." I kissed my daughter's forehead. As I was leaving Hachiman turned to us.

"Umm, what _were_ you two talking about earlier?"

"It was about-" Before she could answer him I quickly covered her mouth.

"It's a secret!" I shot her a wink, she smiled and nodded so I let go of her.

"Yup, it's a secret Onii-chan! It was girl's talk."

I then returned to our bed but before I could go back to sleep my husband came in, saying he was about to go get some groceries but he forgot the keys to our car on the desk. Finally alone I got the chance to enjoy some peace and quiet...

* * *

 _ **-Hachiman PoV-  
**_  
"Enjoy your date Hachi and Mother!" Caren-san cheerfully told us as she went inside their apartment to rest after doing some work at the clinic.

"I'll be in your care then Hachiman." She gave me a polite bow before she clung to my right arm as we walked towards the mall.

"The same goes for me Claudia-san. So, where do you want to go first when we get to the mall?"

"Hmm... Maybe we should go to the jewelry section first. I want to check out the collection there."

"Okay then, by the way may I ask why were you so stressed out this week?"

"Well it was because of work!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "We had so many things to do last week and if we didn't do all those overtime shifts then it would have taken us about thrice as long." She then took out her phone and showed me a picture of her. Her hair was disheveled and you can clearly see the bags under her eyes. Her look screamed 'when the fuck will I get some rest?!'

I couldn't stop myself from laughing upon seeing her picture. I thought she would be offended but instead she just laughed along with me and showed me another picture. At first I thought it was her, but looking closely it was actually Caren-san. She was sleeping on the sofa and you can clearly make out the drool from her mouth and her hair was all over the place.

It was inevitable and soon we burst into a fit of loud laughter, as a result we were both getting stares from people around us. Some were looking at us like why were they laughing, others were clearly staring at Claudia-san and the majority were shocked as to why was I with this beautiful lady beside me. We both just ignored them as we settled ourselves down and walked off towards our destination.

"Why was your daughter like that Claudia-san?" I inquired as we headed to the shops. "Oh, and can you send me a copy of that picture of her later?"

"Well, last week she said she did all her paperwork when you weren't around, so when you came to her she could just lounge about and enjoy your company."

So that was why I didn't see her working when I was there with her.

"But why was she _that_ tired if she did her work earlier?"

"It was because she was busy preparing when you and your friends helped her out at the clinic. She said she had done the paperwork for all of you to be exempted that week. You'll just be given special lessons and tests after helping her out."

Upon finding that out I was both shocked and happy that she enjoyed my company that much to the extent that she did all her work when I wasn't around. She even went so far as bringing her work home all so she could finish it all in one go.

I had the urge to ask Tobe, Hina and Saki to help us out during that week so I texted the three on my phone. Saki quickly sent a response and soon followed Tobe, both saying they were fine with helping us. That left me with only Hina's answer pending, I'll be waiting for her reply and I hope she can join us.

A short while later we arrived at the mall. Claudia-san and I went to the jewelry section where we browsed through the booths until she found something she liked. I thought she was going to buy a lot, but she only bought two earrings and a pendant. It was a small cross with an amethyst in the middle.

After that she dragged me to the clothes section and tried out the clothes there. She didn't really splurge herself as I thought she would, instead she only took the things she really liked though she did offer to buy me something.

"No thank you, Claudia-san. I'm fine." Albeit a kind gesture it was too embarrassing so I respectfully declined. "You're supposed to be the one relaxing today so maybe next time."

"Are you sure about that Hachiman?" She then looked around and spotted a black scarf and a pair of ear muffs. She reached out for them and placed them on my hands.

"At least let me buy you these, as a token of my gratitude for you going out of your way to accompany me. Please accept them." She looked at me as she pleaded, giving me the best puppy dog eyes she could muster. I quickly gave in, finding impossible in me to reject her now.

"Okay, okay. I get it, thank you." And with that she skipped happily to the counter to pay for our items. Since there wasn't a queue it didn't take long before she returned, I relieved her of the paper bags to which she was grateful.

"So, are we done shopping?"

"Well, there are still a few things I want to buy... like a coat, and maybe some shoes? Why Hachiman, are you perhaps tired or hungry?

"I'm not tired at all, but I am a little hungry."

"Okay then, foods on me too so can you wait a little while longer?"

"No problem, but can I wait for you outside the store instead? I'll just sit on that bench over there."

"Sure thing, no problem! I'll just go to you there later when I'm done, alright?" She then went back to the items in sale while I made myself comfortable on the bench, placing the bags beside me.

I took my phone out to read some of the light novels I had saved on it just to kill some time. Two-thirds of it were recommended by Zaimokuza so I'll read those when I finished the ones I'm currently reading.

Fifteen minutes had passed since I was here when I received a message. It was Claudia-san, saying she was sorry for making me wait as there was quite the line where she was. I replied to her mail saying I didn't mind it and that I could go to where she was so that we could immediately buy food after she paid. That way she wouldn't have to walk all the way back where I was along with whatever she had bought.

While I was waiting for her reply I felt someone tap me on my shoulder. Turning around, I was surprised to see who it was - a person from my middle school that I really didn't want to meet that day. Or any day in particular.

"Long time no see Hikigaya!" Said the girl with brown hair, the usual jovial tone in her voice.

"Y-yeah, i-it's been a while..." I gulped before I spoke her name, this girl was trouble. "...Orimoto."

"Nee! Can I ask you a favor Hikigaya? We're friends, right?"

A favor? Huh. And I don't recall us ever being friends... but I asked her anyway out of curiosity.

"Well, I don't know. What do you need?"

"You see I was going to this mixer now, and the one who was supposed to come with me stood me up. So like, can you fill in for him now?"

So you just want me to act as proxy for someone that left you... And a mixer? I don't think so, I hated crowds.

"Sorry, I can't go with you. I'm actually on a date right now." After hearing that Orimoto laughed so loud I could see tears in her eyes. Did she really think I was joking?

"You're hilarious, Hikigaya! Now come on, we're going to be late!" She grabbed my arm and proceeded to pull me off the bench, but I broke my arm free from her grip.

"Seriously Orimoto. I'm just waiting for someone to return here so I can't go with you."

"There you go again with your joke, like you _really_ are on a date with someone. I mean, if you really are then where is she?"

She sure showed me how much she underestimated me. Well, I don't blame her, she still thought I was the same old boy who confessed to her in the past. It really didn't matter to me anymore what she thought of me, but can't she at least tell that I'm telling the truth?

I then noticed someone was fast approaching to where I was, I waited for the right moment and told Orimoto to look behind her. She giggled a bit, but as she turned around she saw Claudia-san standing there, who from her facial expression was clearly not amused by her presence. She looked at Orimoto from head to toe before going to my side and clinging to my arm.

"Sorry for making you wait, but what seems to be the problem here? Is this girl bothering you?"

I was about to say something when Orimoto beat me to the punch.

"W-wow! Sorry about that Hikigaya, I really thought you were joking about earlier! I never expected you to actually be on a date, if the guys from middle school could see this I bet they wouldn't believe their eyes either. Also you're one lucky boy to have someone like her, I mean she's way out of your league!"

I laughed awkwardly at what she said but when I saw Claudia-san I instantly stopped. Even though she was smiling I could sense her rage at Orimoto, she was even clenching her fists. This was not a good sign, and I was expecting her to lash out or something however she walked up to her.

"Ara, I didn't know you knew someone as rude as _her_ Hachiman." Her words were spoken so casually but it had a lot of venom in it. Orimoto's smile disappeared and she appeared to be confused, soon she realized what she had said about me.

"Oh, I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean to-"

"First you try to steal my date, second you insult him in front of me, and then you're just being plain rude. I don't want to hear your sorry excuse for an apology so can you just get out of my sight already?"

Orimoto was now very nervous as Claudia-san continued to glare at her. She tried to apologize again but before she could say anything Claudia-san grabbed her collar and pulled her closer to her face.

"Can you not see that he was serious? Do you take everything as a joke? Did you not think that you were being a bother to him, you harlot?"

"H-h-harlot?" Her knees trembled as her voice did.

"Can you shut up and listen when people are talking? Or is a simple task such as that something you can't even do?" The look on her eyes were terrifying as she continued to stare her down. I decided that it was enough as people's attention were being drawn to our direction. I had to stop this before it turned out ugly so I went over to Claudia-san and gently held her hand, urging her to let go.

"Claudia-san calm down. I thought the whole point of this date was to help you release some stress. If you continue on with what you're doing then this will all be in vain."

After hearing me out Claudia-san took a deep breath. But it appeared she had one last thing in her mind.

"What's your name?" She asked her.

"O-Orimoto K-Kaori."

"Well listen here, Orimoto-san. You're lucky Hachiman was here. If not I'd have dragged you by your hair and threw you out the mall a few moments ago." She then turned around and walked away, gesturing me to follow behind her.

"S-sorry Hikigaya, if I just listened to you then none of this would've happened."

"Well it doesn't really matter to me. And so do you still think that I haven't changed since that time from middle school?" While I was speaking to her I wasn't looking at her, instead I was facing Claudia-san who was waiting for me. I should make this quick she's still in a bad mood.

"After confessing to you in the past, it just made me realize two things: how you looked at me, and that you were never interested in me from the beginning. It was just me deluding myself." I had said all I wanted to say, but before I walked away I gave her my last parting words.

"Oh, and for the record Orimoto we aren't friends, we just know each other from middle school. Nothing more, nothing less.".

I didn't bother looking at what her expression was after what I said, I just walked on over to where Claudia-san was waiting for me so we could get some food to eat.

"Claudia-san please let it go, try not to think too much about what happened earlier." She was still pouting as she looked over to me.

"Hachiman, can you tell me what happened between the two of you? You looked really uncomfortable when she was around you earlier."

I didn't want to tell her about my "dark past" with Orimoto, or revisit it for that matter, but she kept pestering me about it while we ordered our food that I knew I had to give in so I agreed once we finished getting something to eat. She ordered a very packed burger with large serving of fries and a sundae, leaving me baffled by this mother and her daughter with how much they could eat and not gain any weight. At least now I knew where Caren-san got her appetite from.

Now that the conditions were met, we sat down as I recollected the time of my life when I was still in middle school…

-Flashback end-

"So all that happened while we were together." I drank from my can of Max coffee after telling what had happened on Sunday.

"I see... So Mom really did hold back Hachi, and I mean she really _did_ held back. A lot."

After Caren-san said that a chill ran down my spine. It was a good thing I was there to stop the fight before it started. As we continued on with our lunch I informed her that Saki, Hina and Tobe would be helping us out, Hina was the last one to confirm her aid that night. She said it was great and that I should come with them later after class was finished so she could inform us on what we would be doing for this week. She then handed me a piece of paper containing all the names of people that would help us out. She told me to give that to Hiratsuka-sensei so that she could inform all our teachers what we were doing this week.

"So basically we'll come to school for four straight days just to help you out, right? No classes, no quizzes and no assignments?

"Yup, but you still have to ask your classmates about what topics were discussed on that day, and if they would ever take a quiz just ask the teacher so that you can take that test on a later day. The same goes for assignments, they will give you something to do that you have to submit before whatever deadline they set."

"No problem with that, four days without studying? I'll take that, thank you very much."

"Hachi I'm surprised at your laziness, even though you are smart and have good observational and deduction skills."

"It comes with being a loner Caren-san. You have to use your brain and observe people so that they won't notice you." She just gave me a sad look and sighed.

"I wish you could use those skills of yours for greater things than just that."

I smiled at her, before she could say anything else the bell rang so I bid her farewell and headed on over to my class.

* * *

 _ **-Yumiko's PoV-  
**_  
 _'The day's finally over! Time to spend some time with Hayato and my friends!'_

The start of my day wasn't exactly the greatest, as once I came in I saw Hikio talking with Hina and Tobe. Initially I had zero problems with that, but I wanted to do stuff with my friends so I felt a little irritated.

I went over to my seat and sat down, opening my phone I just wanted to watch some funny videos before the class started when Sagami approached me with two of her friends.

"Hey Miura, look! Not only did the freak embarrass you last week, now he's stealing your friends!" All three then broke into laughter. I glanced at Tobe and Hina, sure enough they did look like they were having fun with him!

I was about to stand up and go to where they were but Sagami blocked my way.

"You're losing your touch Miura. Maybe now I can steal Hayato from you." She then gave me a smug smile. That was the last straw!

' _I had enough of this bitch!'_ I got to my feet but before I could do anything Hayato intervened.

"Now, now Sagami, that wasn't a nice thing to say. If you don't have any other business with us, could you take your leave?" He then turned to me.

"Yumiko, calm down. It's not good for you nor for anyone else if you're this angry so early in the morning."

Ah, if only Hayato wasn't here I would have torn that bitch's face off for sure... I could feel the blood creep up to my face at what he said. He was worried about me, that's why he spoke those words filled with concern.

I didn't notice that Sagami and her friends had left, but when I did see them she had sat down and shot me another mocking smile. What the hell was wrong with her?! I wasn't about to get my mood ruined again so I just ignored it for now as the teacher came in and class started.

During lunch I was able to talk to Hina and Tobe, eating and talking to each other. I had enjoyed my time with them when I heard them say they were going to help Hikio later after school. It seemed that they would be lending a hand at the clinic where Hikio was in right now and they would do this starting tomorrow until the end of the week.

Once again my mood worsened since I wanted to spend some time with them after school, especially Hina since I wasn't able to go to karaoke with her last week and I wanted to make it up to her. I wanted to tell them to ditch helping Hikio, but that sounded bad even for me. While I wanted to be with my friends I didn't want to force them into things so I just had to wait until after this week was over so I could hang out with them again.

As I just finished packing my things and was about to leave the room I saw Hina and Tobe going to where Hikio was while Hayato was talking to Ooka and Yamato. Making my way towards the front door Sagami suddenly appeared and blocked my way.

"Hey Miura, our little talk was interrupted earlier."

I looked at her and decided to hear what this bitch had in store.

"What now Sagami? What else do you want to say to me?" I was not liking how she talked to me, not one bit.

"It seems that that your friends will be hanging out with that freak."

"So what if they are? Just because they act all chummy with each other doesn't mean they're not my friends anymore. I trust in them, they won't drop me in a heartbeat for no valid reason."

"Oh, really? Sure doesn't look that way to me." She pointed towards Hikio, Hina and Tobe talking about something, even Kawasaki had joined in with them and they appeared to be having a blast. I had to admit I felt a hint of jealousy as my friends were having fun without me.

"See? The freak's stealing your friends one by one, and one day you'll be all alone because I will steal Hayato from you." She mockingly smiled at my face. I gritted my teeth, this girl's attitude annoyed me to no end and I was about to give her a beating when I remembered what Hina and Tobe told me earlier. That whatever happened we would always be friends, and that I didn't have to worry about anything. Remembering their words calmed me down enough to smile back at Sagami.

"You know what? I don't care whatever it is you have to say about them, because I know my friends and they'll never leave me." I had confidence in them, we've been through thick and thin, this act irritated her as she crossed her arms. "Also I see your friends aren't here with you? Are you sure they didn't ditch you to hang out with someone else?"

"They said they had to do something today so they left earlier."

"You sure about that? It doesn't look like that to me Sagami." I then smugly smiled, this caused her to become more annoyed. Have a taste of your own medicine bitch!

"You don't know them so don't judge my friends Miura!" She closed the distance between us as she glared at me.

"Same to you Sagami, don't you start talking shit about my friends then I won't do the same. If you have nothing else to say then good day to you!" I proceeded to walk away from her.

"We're not done talking!" She shouted at me, but I continued to walk away from her. She yelled again but I didn't want to face her, there was no need to stress myself with her.

"I said, we're not done talking yet!" I stopped and turned around, looked at her and gave my most triumphant smug smile. I could see that it hit her nerves quite well, her hands forming into fists as she fumed in anger. With that I went on my way, until someone called out our names.

I turned my head to see who it was, but I was shocked to find Sagami was moving in and was about to hit me on the head with a book.

There was too little leeway to respond and I couldn't dodge in time nor block it with my arms. I felt my body froze and all I could do was shut my eyes, in my head I was screaming for Hayato to come and save me. I knew he was still in the classroom since I saw him earlier, I just hoped he could swoop in and move me away before Sagami connects with her assault.

Then I felt it hit me, or something did at least. It didn't hurt as much as I expected, and instead of hitting my head it felt more of being shoved aside. I landed on my backside, which did hurt although probably not as bad.

I groaned in pain and was about to complain when I realized that someone had saved me from being hit by her.

Ah, Hayato~ My dearest prince, my knight in shining armor! You always come to save the day, don't you? I was about to looked up to my savior and was about to express my thanks but my eyes were closed then when I was about to open them I heard him say.

"I always knew textbooks were a pain."

 **Very short AN**

To the readers of my story I'm very sorry for the delay but both me and thatguywhowrote were very busy with work.

Two new characters! Shiki Ryougi and Mikiya Kokutou from the Nasuverse I made them Hachiman's parents.

See you next chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Hachiman POV**

"So you all know what to do for tomorrow's physical examination?" Caren-san asked.

"Yes!" We all answered in unison. Just as I was about to leave, she called out to me.

"Hikigaya-kun can you stay for a bit? I need to ask you something, the rest of you can leave."

I thought I was finally in the clear... Did she notice me earlier? I looked at her as I sat back down while Saki, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were shooting me concerned looks as they passed by me on their way out, however Tobe and Hina stayed with me in the room. Caren-san didn't notice them as she was cleaning the white board but when she turned around she was surprised that I wasn't alone.

"Tobe-kun and Hina-chan, didn't you two hear what I just said earlier? You can go now, I just want to ask Hachi a few questions."

Tobe and Hina looked at each other before I decided to speak up.

"It's fine you two, I can explain what happened earlier."

"You sure about that Hikigaya-kun?" Hina asked.

"Yeah, if the two of us are here we can give Caren-san a better explanation."

I really didn't want to waste their time and they really didn't need to explain it to her. They didn't do anything bad after all so I just accepted their offer to help me.

"Okay, if you insist. Thanks to the both of you then." Hina smiled at my response and Tobe gave me a thumbs-up.

"What do you mean 'what happened earlier?' I was just going to ask Hachi if he was feeling anxious because he was going to work with his ex-club mates. I noticed earlier when I was explaining the things that he was rather nervous and he was strangely holding on to his left hand for some reason."

I sighed in relief internally as Caren-san didn't notice my arm was hurting because of what Sagami did. It was too soon to think we were in the clear as Tobe had to open his mouth.

"Oh, I thought you noticed why Hikigaya-bro was holding his arm in pain earlier..."

Well there went me going home early and not being interrogated by Caren-san any further. She stood up and went to my side, gently rolling up my left sleeve and inspecting my arm. Surprised to find the bruising and slight swelling, she made me sit down and treated my injury.

"S-sorry about that Hikigaya-bro..." Tobe apologized, though it wasn't really supposed to be shocking he would have a slip of the tongue.

I dismissed his worries with a wave of my other hand as Caren-san focused on tending to me. Once she was finished she asked me what had happened earlier and why was my arm like that. She listened carefully to my side of the story before Hina and Tobe told theirs.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. Earlier, two of your classmates had a certain misunderstanding. Then later in the afternoon, it led to this 'Sagami' girl almost hitting one of your friends, is that right Hina-chan?"

"Correct. Hikigaya-kun here saved Yumiko as he pushed her aside and blocked her blow with his hand."

"So Hikigaya-kun why'd you do that?"

"Honestly, I don't have an idea. My body sort of just reacted on its own?"

"So basically you became a white knight for her?" She said, teasing.

"I don't know about that... When she saw it was me who saved her she was really surprised for some reason, Miura looked like she saw a ghost."

"Now that you mention it Hikigaya-kun... Yumiko did seem stunned. Maybe she was expecting Hayato to be the one that would save her?" Hina suggested.

"Maybe you're right Hina," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "But what I do know is that bit- I-I mean, that woman Sagami put all her strength into that blow... It hurt a lot."

"We can see that Hikigaya-bro, but I gotta admit you were pretty cool earlier. You dashed in pretty fast, you were like standing next to us when we were about to go out of class. When we noticed what was about to happen you were already halfway to Yumiko."

Was I that fast? I guess I did act pretty fast, but I don't know about my speed. I heard from Dad that Mom was pretty fast at running, maybe I got it from her? Deep in thought myself, I woke up to a piercing gaze from the nurse beside me who seemed to be lost in a trance the same way I was earlier.

"What's the matter Caren-san, something wrong?"

"Say Hachi, I was just wondering... You seem to have a knack on finding girls that hit you - and by that I mean they're not hitting you in a good way. First off we have your homeroom teacher, second is that Iroha girl then there's this Sagami one."

"Caren-san is right Hikigaya-kun! Don't just find girls that hit you, make some hot boys hit on you too!" Hina exclaimed out loud, with a particularly different "hit" in mind.

"No thanks Hina, I don't swing that way." I answered in a deadpanned manner. Once she heard my answer she quickly got close to me and preached.

"Why do you always reject my ideas!? You can always find happiness on the other side!" She then pointed at Tobe,

Caren-san giggled upon hearing her deluded suggestion.

"It seems your arm is faring better now, if you feel anything strange tell me about it okay? You can also put some ice on it later when you get home to help it heal faster."

"Okay Caren-san thanks."

As I got up from my seat Hina approached me and it seemed like she had something to give me in her bag.

"Hey Hikigaya-kun, I'll be returning the books you lent me yesterday. I got some ideas from some of the books and I also like this one..."

I couldn't believe my eyes from what I saw, one of the books that I lent her was the missing volume of Citrus from my collection! I looked at Hina a little suspiciously when she said she "liked" it. Hina, the fujoshi rotten to the core, liked yuri content? I placed my hand on her forehead to check whether she was running a fever.

"W-what are you d-doing Hikigaya-kun?" She stepped backed a bit and looked scared.

"Just making sure you aren't sick or anything." She quickly removed my hand from her forehead.

"Geez Hikigaya-kun it's not like that, I also read other genres but I just mostly read BL!"

"Okay Hina, I was looking for this for two days I thought I had misplaced it. I never could have imagined that I accidentally lent you this."

"Well at first I was shocked to see that you lent me something like this, but I thought it was good and that you enjoyed it so I may as well give it a shot... Surprisingly enough I enjoyed reading it. Do you have other manga like this that you can recommend for me?"

"Hmm... I can't say I have anything to recommend, but if I find something interesting I'll let you know."

"Okay thanks Hikigaya-kun!"

After that we all went our own ways, I accompanied Caren-san until she reached her apartment before I headed straight home myself.

As I got inside the house I saw my mother and like always she was wearing a kimono. It seemed that she had just gotten down from their room upstairs.

"Welcome back Hachiman, how was school?" She greeted me with a hug.

"It was okay Mom, nothing out of the ordinary happened today." As I was about to walk past her she clung to my left arm. This caused my face to distort in discomfort and I was unable to hide it from her keen senses. She shot me a look of concern.

"Hachiman honey, what happened to your arm?" She then gently lifted my sleeves to see the bruise.

"It's nothing major Mom, I just got into an accident at school earlier."

"Are you sure that's all?" She wasn't convinced on what I told her as she stared at me without blinking for a Moment. Why do women always have this sharp intuition? Like seriously, they can tell when you're lying and won't back down until you tell them the truth.

"Yes Mom, it was just an accident." I responded, stretching the truth.

She looked at my arm for an instant then told me to go to our living room where she made me sit and told me to wait for her there. She then went to the kitchen and came back to the room with a towel and a basin filled with ice.

"Here, use this so the bruise will heal quickly." She then put some ice in the towel and gave it to me.

"Thanks Mom."

I gently placed the towel over the bruise, I felt some comfort as the cool feeling it had made my arm feel better. I was kind of lost in the relaxing feeling when I felt someone staring at me. I thought my Mom had went to the kitchen to prepare dinner but apparently she was still with me in the living room, staring at my arm. Her vision shifts to me, she was about to say something when my dearest and cutest little sister in the world came in to save me from what could have been a possible interrogation.

"Mom, can you take over for me in the kitchen?" She asked our mother as she sat beside her.

"I can Komachi, what do you need me to do?"

"Well I just finished preparing the chicken, you can just deep fry them. I still have to finish some of my assignments for tomorrow."

"Okay Komachi leave it to me and if you need help ask your brother here okay?"

"Yes Mom!"

Before she left she gave me a look of concern one last time then headed towards the kitchen. I breathed out a sigh of relief, it was a good thing Komachi came in earlier or else she would have sat there and made me tell her what had really happened earlier.

Komachi noticed what I was doing with my arm so she also asked me about it, I also told her what I told our mother and after telling her she seemed satisfied with my explanation. She soon went upstairs to do her own business there, leaving me back to my lonesome self.

Once I was done treating my arm I went to my room upstairs to change into casual clothes. Then I went back down to help my mother in the kitchen.

"What can I do to help Mom?" I asked, seeing she was almost done frying.

"How is your arm honey?" She looked over to me, somewhat ignoring my earlier question.

"It feels better now so what can I do?" She looked over to our table and spotted it was still clear.

"Could you set up the table for dinner? I'm almost done frying, and after that call your father and sister so we can all eat together." I nodded and went straight away to setting up our tableware before I called out Dad and Komachi. Kamakura was circling around my feet, letting me know he was also hungry as it was the only reason he would rarely ever give me the time of day. I took one can of cat food from the cupboards and opened it up, luring him straight to wherever I went.

"Dad! Komachi! Dinners ready!" I shouted, I heard their answers from upstairs and it wasn't long before they came down and all of us had dinner. While eating my mother couldn't stop staring at my arm, she really wanted to know what happened to me, this didn't escape the notice of Dad so when he had a chance to ask me he whispered to my ear.

"Hachiman, what's the matter with your mother? Why is she staring at your arm like that?"

"Well I told her I was in an accident earlier and it seems she is really worried about it, but it's just a small bruise Dad." I showed him my left arm, he inspected it for a bit.

"Okay son, it doesn't look that bad but you know your mother. She may look scary but deep inside she's just really worried about you so it may be best to just talk to her later."

"Okay Dad I'll do that."

After dinner Dad and Komachi quickly left the dining room and returned to their rooms, I was left alone with Mom who was washing the dishes. After I cleaned up the table I went to help her put back the plates she had cleaned. Stacking them together I was about to put them back on one of the shelves when Mom interrupted me.

"Hachiman... You do know you can tell me anything, right? So what really happened to your arm?" She looked over to me and her face had a really worried look on it.

"It was just an accident Mom I promise, nothing mo-"

"No one is bullying you like when you were in middle school, is there?" she said in a worried tone.

"Yes Mom, no one is bullying me."

We locked eyes for about a minute as she tried to read my mind, it seemed she was still unsatisfied with my response. She closed her eyes and inhaled a good amount before opening her eyes again.

"Okay Hachiman I believe you, but if anyone ever hurt you tell me about it, okay?"

I nodded and tried my best to smile, which washed away some of the worried look she had. We then finished on cleaning the dishes before returning to our own rooms.

* * *

 **Yumiko POV**

What the HELL happened back then? I thought I was saved by Hayato but...

It was Hikio who saved me! I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened them... There he was, standing in front of that demon as he took the hit for me. Sagami was also surprised at what he did but after realizing what had happened she quickly left the classroom without a word.

After the incident I saw him holding his left arm, I was about to give my thanks but before I had the chance he turned around and told my friends that they were running late for their meeting tomorrow. After that he exited the room, whereas Hina and Tobe came to my side and asked me if I was hurt.

"Are you okay? Does it anywhere hurt?"

"Y-yeah... And no, I'm fine. Thanks." They helped me up before excusing themselves saying they have to go. Waving goodbye, the two went and followed after Hikio...

Now as I laid in bed I started to think about stuff. I know I quickly judged him by how his eyes looked, I also thought that his attitude now was like that from the start but... Hikio wasn't like that in the past, maybe something happened to him that made him what he is today...

' _Maybe I could ask Hina and Tobe more about him. Both of them befriended him so maybe he had shared some personal stuff with them.'_

I took my phone from my nightstand while it was still charging and sent them mails, booking their schedule to have lunch with me tomorrow because I wanted to ask them something. I quickly got a reply from Hina saying she was okay with it, then after reading her message I got Tobe's reply saying he was also good to go. I had just replied my thanks back to them when I heard my name being called.

"Okay Mom just a minute." I laid my phone back down on my desk as I got ready to leave my room.

' _I should also ask those two on how to approach Hikio- I mean,_ Hikigaya... _I want to thank him for doing that for me, maybe I could try to get to know him more too. If Hina and Tobe can be friends with him then can I also become one of his too? I mean, how hard can it be?'_ I went down the stairs, towards the dining area where my family were gathered. _'Starting tomorrow, I'll observe him for a bit. To see how he normally acts so when I approach him, it won't be as awkward between the two of us.'_

After dinner I laid back down on my bed and thought of a way on how to indirectly ask my friends to tell me the stuff they found out about him. Asking them as we ate together sounded good, and if ever they wondered why I wanted to know those things I'll just tell them my plan and ask them not to tell him all about it. I know I can count on Hina, as for Tobe... Guess I shouldn't spill it to him yet, knowing him he might let his mouth slip.

* * *

 _ **The next day**_

Thinking about a certain loner all morning, I had been observing him from top to bottom ever since I saw him enter the classroom.

' _I still don't get it... What does Yui see in him for her to like him? How can Hina and Tobe talk with him so casually?'_

I did notice that his face seemed livelier when I looked at him more carefully, I noticed that he looked really good, up until you take note of his eyes and that trademark rotten personality.

I couldn't stop comparing him to Hayato - the perfect boy for me - but from what he did back then I knew I couldn't keep on judging him based on his appearances...

As the last class before lunch ended, almost all of us were ready to eat. I looked at Hina and Tobe who were already out the door waiting for me, they seemed to be rather excited to have lunch with me. When I looked over to Hikigaya he was still in the classroom, maybe he was on break from clinic duty. I could somehow tell he was a little troubled, looking around for something under his desk but he can't seem to find it.

The bell then finally rang, signaling the start of our break.

"So where are we going to eat?" I asked as I made my way to my two friends in waiting.

"I don't mind where we eat, let's just go to some place that not crowded." Hina answered.

"Maybe we can try the rooftop?" Tobe Suggested.

Hina and I nodded at Tobe's suggestion, passing by Hikigaya's seat as we headed out of the room, who was still busily looking for something.

"What are you looking for Hikigaya-kun?" Hina asked him.

"My lunch, I think I left it at home. What a waste, Mom even made it for me." He then sighed out loud.

"You okay Hikigaya-bro? What will you do for lunch now?"

"I'm okay Tobe I'll just get something from the cafeteria later."

"If you say so Hikigaya-bro, see you later at the clinic."

"See you later you two." He looked at me for an instant before leaving for the cafeteria.

We then headed straight to the rooftop, but I realized I didn't have any drinks with me so I excused myself to buy one at the nearest vending machine. I got some red tea and was now all set when I saw a beautiful lady with shoulder length hair in a blue Kimono with a red jacket over it. Her eyes reminded me of someone but I couldn't tell who, she seemed kind of lost so I went over to her and asked.

"Are you okay ma'am?"

"No, I'm a little lost. It has been some time when I last visited this place."

So she was an alumna of Sobu, I wasn't really in a hurry so I decided to help her out.

"If you'd like, I can guide you to where you're going." I smiled at her as I offered.

"I'd like that, thank you." She answered me with a smile. Wow, even if her eyes were kind of scary whenever she smiled like that you'd forget about it in an instant.

"Could you tell me where you're going?"

"To the school's infirmary, I have to drop off something there." She answered me.

"Okay then please follow me."

I guided her to where our infirmary was, once we arrived there she thanked me and entered the room. I quickly went back upstairs to join my friends for lunch, but while on the way I was a little curious on who that lady was earlier.

She was really pretty, so much so that whenever we passed by some people they couldn't help but stare at her for some time. I wish I could meet her again sometime, I'd like to know more about her.

When I reached the rooftop I went to where my friends were seated and sat beside Hina. After eating lunch we stayed there as we three just hung out and told stories to each other. Before Hina got the chance to share with us about her "hobbies" I decided to ask them a question.

"Hina, Tobe, can you guys help me out with something?" The sudden question made both look at me curiously.

"What is it Yumiko?" Hina asked.

"Well I..." I was cut off thinking of a way on how to say it to them without making myself sound weird.

"We'll help you on whatever it is right Tobe?" He flashed a smile and gave me a thumbs up.

Well they were my friends, so here's to nothing.

"Can you help me out with Hikigaya?"

* * *

 **Shizuka's POV**

 _'Finally it's time to eat!'_

I stretched my arms over my head. So much had happened last week, I never thought that Hikigaya would leave the service club but after that it did have a positive impact on his development. He somehow befriended Kawasaki, Hina and Tobe, of all people. I was quite shocked after I saw him chatting with those three, and as a teacher I was very proud of the improvements he had shown.

Admittedly though I was a little sad to see that for him to change for the better he had to leave the club. I thought that he was getting along with Yuigahama, Yukinoshita and Isshiki but I was wrong. I did ask them what they did for him to consider leaving the club but all three of them didn't give an answer.

I don't want to think of these things when I'm going to eat else I would ruin my appetite so I got up from my seat and headed for the cafeteria. On my way there I was wondering what I would be having for lunch today.

 _'Maybe I'll have some curry? I'm not really that hungry right now so maybe I'll just get some sandwiches?'_

Along the way I saw Hikigaya was also headed to the cafeteria so I called out to him.

"Good afternoon Hikigaya-kun, what are you having for lunch?"

"Good afternoon Sensei, I'll just get some bread from the cafeteria, I forgot my lunch at home."

"That's too bad, did your sister make it for you?"

"No Sensei it was Mom."

"Oh Shiki-san made it? She rarely cooks now because of her work right so what's the occasion?"

"Nothing special really... Just..."

"Hmm? 'Just'?'"

"Well, when I got up this morning for my run she was already awake and when I passed by her she said when I get home she'll train me."

I was rather curious so I asked him further.

"What training did she give you?"

"She told me to avoid all the things she will do in the given time limit, she basically beat the crap out of me earlier. I couldn't avoid any of her hits. She said it would make me react faster to the things happening to my surroundings."

"Why did she decide to train you like that? It's rather strange, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it was strange at first but I think she was worried for me." I gave him a concerned look.

"You aren't doing anything strange that would make your mother worry, right Hikigaya?"

"Sensei, you know me. I don't do stuff like that and I think it was because of this." He then showed me the bruise on his arm. "When I got home I just wanted to go straight to my room and rest up there but Mom clung to my left arm after she welcomed me home, she then saw my reaction. I didn't tell her what really happened, I just said I got into an accident, it seems she didn't believe my explanation and it only caused her to be more worried about me."

"It's your fault you know. If you had just told her the truth then maybe you won't be doing all that training right now."

"I guess your right Sensei."

"So why'd you forget to bring the lunch she made for you?"

"After the training I rested for some time then ate breakfast. I thought it was still early so I took my time to eat but then when I remembered that we had to come in early to help out at the clinic I rushed to get here and in doing that I forgot to bring it with me." He sighed out loud and looked pretty sad when he said that.

"Say, how are you doing helping Caren-san?"

"It's okay I help her here on school days and on the weekends I help her out at some clinic. I got used to it rather easily and I enjoy what I do."

He said that while giving me a warm smile and I see that he was indeed enjoying out there. I can't help but feel a little depressed that his attitude had greatly changed for the better after leaving the service club. I wished he would have improved like this while he was still with us.

"Then Hikigaya you wanna join me for lunch?" Upon hearing me he gave me a confused look as he said.

"What did you say Sensei?"

"I said do you want to have lunch with me? I have some extra money on me so I can get you something you like which will be much better than bread, so what do you say?"

"I won't say no to free food, you can hit on me anytime if that's the case Sensei so lead the way."

I ignored his little comment, since he had become less of the rotten student his past self was.

"I see that you made some new friends Hikigaya."

"Friends?"

"You know what I mean, I see that you're very close to Kawasaki, Hina, Tobe and you seem awfully close to that nurse Caren."

As he was about to answer but his phone rang so he got it and answered it while we walked.

"What's up Caren-san? You got something for me in the infirmary? Okay then I'll be right there."

"What was that about Hikigaya?" I asked him as he returned his phone to his pocket.

"I'm sorry Sensei but I won't be able to have lunch with you anymore, it seems Caren-san needs me for something right now."

"Okay Hikigaya I understand." I was a little disappointed that he won't having lunch with me but before he left me he said.

"Umm Sensei sorry about leaving you now but next time when I'm not busy I'll be the one to treat you."

"Sure I'll be waiting for that then." I smiled at the offer.

"Well then, if I may be excused," he then turned around and went off to the infirmary. When he was out of sight I went back on his words.

 _'Did he just ask me out on a date earlier?'_

When he said he'll be the one to treat me next time... No wait, I may be over thinking, but I did notice that his face was livelier compared to how he looked like before. And after he quit the service club I could really see some difference.

Upon realizing that he asked me out my cheeks turned red and I stopped walking as I leaned against a wall to calm myself down. Regaining my composure I looked at my surroundings to see if there were people around.

"Hurry up and graduate you brat so we can go on more dates..." I said softly to myself. "Maybe I should get one of those marriage registration sheets just in case."

 **Yumiko's POV**

My time with Hina and Tobe earlier was great. We had fun eating and just hanging out in general but... My true aim was to gather some information about Hikigaya.

As expected, he doesn't really say anything much about himself. The only useful thing I got was from Hina, it seems that he really liked to read a lot. I could get him a book...

 _'But I don't know what genre he likes. Guess I'll just ask Hina later, maybe she knows.'_

I was on my way home when I saw a certain figure talking to some people. I slowly went nearer, interested in what they were talking about.

"Thank you for helping my daughter at the clinic Hikigaya-san." The woman then bowed at him.

"Please raise your head, it was nothing really. I was just doing my job." He reached out for the daughter's head and gently patted. She seemed to like it from her expression as she smiled at him.

"Oniichan! Oniichan! Look, my scar is all gone!" She then showed her knee to him.

"Well that's good but don't do anything that can hurt you again okay?"

"Okay Oniichan!"

"Well we better be off Hikigaya-san, and thank you again." The mother and daughter then went on their way as I saw Hikigaya waved goodbye at them. I decided to leave so I wouldn't be spotted by him.

Walking home I was thinking about something, it was how he smiled earlier. It wasn't the usual creepy one that I saw him do in school. Despite his eyes being as they were kids seemed to like him somehow, and to be honest if he smiled more like that at school he would look less creepy and stalker like.

 ** _AN:_**

 ** _Happy new year to all! Finally here is the latest chapter, just a few short words from me._**

 _ **To the 235 people who Favorited and the 305 people who followed this story I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I hope you'll still support this story this year.**_

 _ **As always thanks to**_ _ **thatguywhowrote**_ _ **for betareading this!**_

 _ **Betrayed Dreams here is your Shizuka enjoy.**_

 _ **Now I'm working on the Hachiman and Hayama switch so look forward to that**_

 _ **See you on the next chapter!**_

 ** _Very short Omake_**

 **Shiki's POV**

"Thanks for this Caren-san and maybe sometime you and your mother can join us for dinner?"

"No problem Shiki-san. I have sent you the pictures of the subjects and some information about them. May I ask what are you going to do to them?"

"Well we are just going to have some 'girls' talk', that's all."

"Right... _'Girls talk...'_ Okay then I have to get back to work again so goodbye for now." As she hung up I opened the two pictures on my phone.

"Isshiki Iroha and Sagami Minami... Sooner or later the two of you will have a short chat with me."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hachiman's POV**

 _ **A week after helping at the Infirmary**_

 _ **~Flashback starts~**_

" _Mom… can we… *wheeze* take a quick break?" I said to my mother exhausted, catching my breath after an hour of sparring with her._

 _Upon seeing my condition she nodded as I sat down to rest, she then approached me and handed me some cold water to refresh myself._

" _Hachiman you've improved a lot after just a week of training with me. But you still can't land a single blow." She had a smug expression on just to tease me, I wanted to answer back but I was too tired, laying on my back trying to get some rest._

 _I had noticed two things in my one week training with her: firstly, my mother was holding back a lot. I had observed this after our little training sessions that she didn't even build up a sweat compared to me, effortlessly weaving in and out while she attacked me, almost never giving me time to try to land a counter hit. She also used some feints to mix up her attacks as it kept me guessing on what she was going to do._

 _Secondly, after each of our spars she quickly checked if I had sustained any injuries or asked me if I could still go on. She never pushed me beyond what I was capable of and she never stopped to show me how much she cared._

 _So if I ever wanted to show my appreciation to her, I must learn to the best of my abilities._

 _Upon realizing how amazing she was I was getting pumped up for our next spar, I also wanted to ask her something._

" _Hey, Mom?" I hesitantly called out to her._

" _Hmm Hachiman?"_

" _Can you not hold back on our next spar?"_

 _She shot me a surprised and concerned expression upon hearing my request. Perhaps she wasn't expecting me to find out about her punch-pulling._

" _I don't think that's a good idea Hachiman… I can see you've greatly improved through this week, but I doubt you can handle me once I get serious."_

" _I know… But think of it this way Mom: if I can stand up to you even if it's not that long when you're serious, that will give me invaluable experience and a serious confidence boost along the way."_

" _But Hachiman..." She was clearly worried for me but before she could say another word I cut her off._

" _I know you're afraid that you might accidentally hurt me, but I know you won't Mom. I trust you that much." She looked me eye-to-eye to see if I was hesitant and upon seeing that I was serious she closed her eyes._

" _Okay, but I have a few conditions to add before we train again. First, when I'm serious instead of an hour like our normal spars it will just be fifteen minutes, no more no less. Second, in those fifteen minutes I will do my very best to knock you off your feet three times. Once I have done that we are finished, no exceptions. So do your best to defend against me. Last but not the least, once I feel that you're pushing yourself I will immediately stop our training and we will not continue until you have fully healed and rested. Is that understood?"_

 _I nodded and readied myself for our next spar, she then stood up and went in front of me, but before we started she had some words._

" _Hachiman, don't tell me I didn't warn you earlier. And before we begin tell me the differences between blocking, parrying and evading."_

 _"Blocking is when I use my arms, legs or an object as a shield. Parrying is when I ward off an attack by using a counter move and evading is a quick action to make the opponent miss their attacks." She smiled after hearing my explanation and gave a small applause with delight._

" _Good, I know you are rather good in evading attacks, but you can't depend on evading all the time. So for now try to parry or block so you can get a feel on how to use them." I nodded in response and went into stance when an idea seemed to have struck her._

" _How about we make a little bet to make things more interesting Hachiman? You just have to last fifteen minutes against me to win, if you lose I'll give you some kind of punishment."_

" _Well… what do you have in mind?" I nervously asked her._

" _Don't worry dear, it's not that bad. Just think of it as me adding one more thing to your daily routine."_

" _O…kay? And if I win, do I get something in return?"_

" _Name anything you want I'll get it no questions asked." She said in a rather amused way, confident in her skill._

" _A year's supply of Max coffee." Upon hearing that she giggled at my request._

" _What? You_ did _say anything, right?"_

" _Yes I did say that, but I thought you'd want something else, not something like that dear."_

 _She then got back to her fighting stance, closing her eyes and breathing in then out. I felt the air around her change upon opening them, feeling how serious she was. I was slightly intimidated because when she was holding back I couldn't even touch her, but at the same time I was curious..._

 _I wanted to see what she can do once she was dead serious._

 _ **~Flashback ends~**_

* * *

 _"Mother knows best."_

A phrase that described maternal instincts and wisdom. A phrase often used by a mother after giving advice to her child, or after her prediction had come true.

I learned this the hard way.

Soon after my spar with my dear mother I was "mom-handled". I didn't even last five minutes once she got serious, I tried my very best I swore on my pride as the best onii-chan in Japan but my mother was at a completely different league.

Because I lost to her she gave me some body weights to help with our training, saying that if I should use them while I did my morning runs and while I was at school. The weighted vest I wore was around fifty pounds and the ones on my wrist and ankles were five pounds each, I only took them off when I bathed and when we were training. She gave me two sets to use, one to use for my morning runs and another one whenever I was at school or at home. She also increased the amount of times we did our sparring sessions, now we had them twice a day, once in the morning and another in the evening after she returned from work.

Thank God she didn't double the spars where she was serious, I don't think my body could handle something like that yet.

And even though I lost to her she still bought me the year's supply of Max coffee to my delight. When I asked her why, she just smiled at me and said,

"Well, I could see that you did try your best even if you lost. I just wanted to spoil you a little, is that wrong?"

I was basically screaming for joy in my head once I heard that so achievement unlocked: "Max overload!"

It had been a week after we helped Caren-san at the infirmary, I had grown close to Saki, Hina and Tobe from spending time with them. Whenever Yuigahama and Yukinoshita would see me talking with them while we were doing our jobs in the infirmary I could feel them staring at us for a moment before continuing on with whatever they were doing, a sad expression on their faces. We did talk to each other, but it wasn't like before when I was still in the Service Club when Yukinoshita and I had our "friendly" banters or when I teased Yuigahama on her level of intelligence or on how she passed the entrance exams of Sobu the latter still a mystery to me.

 _'I suppose all good things come to an end eventually.'_

Currently all third year students were at the auditorium as we had an event set up by the Student Council especially for us. They had invited some people from different fields of work whom can share their experience and some showcase their skills. The program will ran all day so hurray to no classes as we just sat and watched.

After all the students had taken their seats Isshiki gave a brief explanation about the program and as she was finished she called in the first participant. There were a total of ten participants, and I was seated in-between Totsuka and Kawasaki who had shown great interest in the program.

To start off, the first one introduced was a famous tennis player here in Chiba. Naturally Totsuka was all ears on this one as the video presentation showed us the player's daily routine on how to keep his athletic form. I wasn't really interested in being a pro athlete but I did take notes from his training regime thinking I could add those to mine. I would have to ask Mom for advice about that later.

After the video presentation the said athlete came out from the backstage and greeted us all with a smile. Once he was in the middle of the stage Isshiki gave him a mic and encouraged the students to ask anything in his line of work. Naturally the tennis fans were the first to line up as well as Totsuka, he waited patiently to ask for advice on how to get better at tennis. The player simply advised him to "have passion and to love whatever you are doing because if you have those, improving said skills will become fast and fun for you as you would enjoy the training that you will do."

Upon hearing what the tennis player said Totsuka's eyes gleamed with inspiration. He gave his thanks then bowed to the player before returning to his seat beside me. I wished this player good luck as I could see he didn't have any bad qualities in him and he made my angel Totsuka very happy. I prayed that he win in Wimbledon or the Australian open this year!

The other two jobs after this didn't really pique my interest so I just listened to them drone away until we had our thirty minute break.

* * *

 **Infirmary**

I was eating with Caren-san and while we usually teased each other, we had a new guest with us at the moment. Caren-san was at her desk while Saki and I were seated on a bench to her right, on the other side were Hina and Totsuka.

As expected, Totsuka's angelic cuteness didn't escape her attention as she quickly started taking pictures of him after he was introduced to her. Totsuka didn't mind as he was just delighted to make another friend. After calming down, Caren-san offered us all some drinks as we discussed what happened during the program earlier.

"What did you think of the program Hachiman?" I was asked by my angel. If we were alone, I think I would have had finally crossed some forbidden line and won't regret it.

I instantly ended that kind of thinking and told myself that I didn't swing that way, however as I met his gaze I immediately thought that if it was Totsuka maybe I won't mind…

A certain fujoshi quickly sensed my dirty thoughts and shot me a thumbs up, a certain amount of blood already dripping out of her nose.

"It's great, but I'm not that interested on the first three jobs. Don't get me wrong; a pro athlete, a chemical engineer and an accountant are all great careers, but they just don't suit me at all. I'm not that great with Math and Chemistry, I also can't imagine myself being an athlete." Totsuka nodded and resumed eating, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

"I hope the other jobs are more interesting, I may get bored or sleepy later." Hina said. I agreed with her, if the other jobs were unappealing then this program would be a wasted opportunity for most of the students. I hoped later it wouldn't bore me out.

"Do all of you have any dream jobs for now?" Saki asked all of us.

"For me, I want to be a pro tennis player." Totsuka answered her.

"Me, umm… Maybe some kind of writer? Or an editor perhaps?" Hina said.

 _I know what kind of genre you'd be in._

"How about you Hachiman?"

"Hmm?"

"What is your dream job? For me I want to be a pre-school teacher." She may look kind of scary, but she took really good care of her siblings. I imagined Saki being more mature as she taught kids, by that time she may have grown her hair out and her front "assets" might have gotten bigger as she became more feminine. I thought whoever married her was one lucky guy.

I was about to continue my fantasy when I was brought back to reality by Caren-san as she poked my cheek.

"Hello? Sobu High to Hachi, you still in there?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was just imagining something..."

"So what is your dream job Hachi?"

I was about to answer when the speakers sounded.

" _ **To all third-year students, the program will resume in ten minutes so please return to the auditorium at once. Thank you."**_

"Maybe I'll tell you later during lunch. See you then Caren-san."

She waved goodbye at us as we exited the clinic, we then proceeded back to the auditorium. While we were heading there I was thinking about our topic earlier…

' _My dream job, huh?'_

In the past I would have said that it would be a house husband, but now I wanted something that involved helping people perhaps? There were plenty of jobs like that: a firefighter, a policeman, a lawyer or a nurse... I wasn't really in a hurry to pick one.

After arriving at our seats Hina went over to where Tobe and Miura were while Saki and Totsuka sat beside me again.

* * *

 **Yumiko's POV**

The program started again and I was seated along with my friends. It was fine and all, but I was getting bored so I struck a conversation up with Hina.

"Say Hina, how was your break?" I asked since she wasn't with me.

"Hmm… It was okay? I had fun with Hikigaya-kun, Totsuka-kun and Saki-Saki earlier."

"What did you do with them?"

"Well, while we were at the clinic earlier we ate and talked about our dream jobs."

"That sounds nice."

"Yeah but when it was Hikigaya-kun's turn to tell us what his dream job was he couldn't tell us."

"Why not? I think even someone like _him_ has a dream job, right?"

"Yeah, but he was cut off when we heard the announcement so we had to go here right away. But he did say he'll tell us later during lunch."

"You won't be having lunch with us either, Hina?" I frowned, dejected.

"Sorry Yumiko, but I'm curious as to what Hikigaya-kun has to say." It too did interest me on what kind of job he would like to have. I did want to know more about him and last week I barely saw him because he was always helping the clinic, going straight home right after.

I then had an idea, if it went well then even if I couldn't observe him in the classroom...

"Hina?"

"Yes Yumiko?"

"Is it okay if I join you for lunch later instead?"

Hina paused to think for a while.

"I don't see why not? But let me tell Hikigaya-kun first, I don't think he would mind if you're there."

She took her phone out and texted him, after five minutes she got a reply saying I was given the thumbs up, much to my delight.

"Thank you Hina!" I gave her a tight hug.

"No problem, Yumiko." She smiled, her cheeks a bit red.

The next people who went to the stage were a hairstylist, a detective and a movie director. Majority of the girls listened to the hairstylist, the best portion about it was she shared tips and tricks on how to properly cut our hair. The notes I took down would be very useful so I could make myself prettier to catch Hayato's attention.

I wasn't really interested in the detective but I could see that some of the boys, Tobe included, were paying attention. They were quite excited when it was time to ask questions. I looked over to Hikigaya-kun and as always he had that unreadable expression on his face. I couldn't tell if he was listening intently or blankly staring in boredom, nevertheless I had to thank him properly later when we have lunch. I hoped that I could say it properly to him this time.

Time passed quickly and soon it was already 12:00pm. We were given an hour to have our lunch, and as we were waiting for our turn to get out I noticed that Kawasaki had been talking to Hikigaya for a while. Unlike when other people talk to him, he had a more relaxed expression, and when did these two started to talk like that anyway?

Kawasaki looked like she was enjoying her time speaking with him. I wanted to observe them a bit more but our row had started to stand and move towards the exit, Tobe waived goodbye at us as he was going to have lunch with Hayato and the others, leaving Hina and I whom were waiting for Hikigaya-kun outside.

"Yumiko and I will just buy some food so you can go on ahead and eat without us." Hina said as Hikigaya-kun approached us, he then looked at the both of us with a raised eyebrow.

"It's okay Hina. We'll just wait for you, it's no big deal since we were given an hour."

"Okie dokie Hikigaya-kun, we'll be sure to make it fast. And remember, you have to tell us about your dream job later, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

We then parted as he and Saki went ahead to the infirmary while Hina and I went to the cafeteria.

"By the way Hina, when did those two got along like that?" I asked as we were walking towards our destination.

"Hmm, let's see... I think they got along after Hikigaya-kun helped Saki-Saki with her little sister, I believe this happened after he left the Service Club. She did tell me that they met regularly last week she said they both leave school together to fetch her younger sister."

"Do you think she likes him?"

"There _are_ signs like that, but I can't say for sure. And if she does I think they'll look good together as an item."

"How can you say that?"

"Well they have a lot in common. Both of them are considered loners, they are both the eldest child in the family and are really protective of their siblings."

"Oh... Wait, did you say Hikigaya-kun has a younger sibling?"

"Yeah, he showed us a picture of her once."

"Does she look like her brother or act like him too?"

"Nope, from what he told us she is the complete opposite of him. Anyway, why don't you try and thank him later Yumiko?"

"U-ugh," I staggered, feeling my intentions were seemingly obvious for Hina to have brought them up. "Okay I'll try to do it before lunch ends."

"Do you want me to help you out with this?"

"I'd really appreciate that Hina, thanks."

We then arrived in front of the clinic and as Hina opened the door I was a little shocked from what I saw.

He was casually talking with all the people inside, from Totsuka, Saki and that nurse. He seemed like a different person when he was in the classroom. Once he and the others saw us enter he finished up what they were talking about as he started to open up his lunch.

I was welcomed by Caren-san the school's nurse as she stood up from her desk and went to the mini-fridge to get us some drinks. All of us had a soda or a fruit drink while she and Hikigaya-kun had Max coffee.

"So Hikigaya-kun," Hina spoke up, with everyone finished with their meals. "Mind telling us what's your dream job now?"

"My dream job huh?" Hikigaya-kun furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "I'd like it to be something that helps people, like a teacher, a lawyer, a volunteer worker... or a nurse perhaps?" We were all pretty taken aback on what he mentioned. He then looked over to the nurse who was also speechless until she blinked a couple of times.

"Really Hachi? you want to be a nurse like me?"

"Yeah, I don't mind being a nurse. Is something wrong with that?"

"N-no, there's nothing wrong with it but…"

"I know, the image doesn't suit me at all. But I've already made up my mind about it so can I ask you to help me pick a good university for it Caren-san?" We could see how serious he was and he definitely thought this one through.

"Of course Hachi, I'd be glad to help you! Anything for you!" She was overjoyed by what she heard.

"Wow I'm looking forward to that Hikigaya-kun." Totsuka remarked.

While they were talking to each other Hina got my attention.

"Psst Yumiko," Hina whispered to my ear and nudged my side. "I think it's best if you say it now."

"Umm, Hi-hikigaya-kun?" I called out to him nervously, he looked over to me.

"You need something Miura?"

"Well I wanted to-"

" _ **All third-year students please return to the auditorium. I repeat, all third-year students please return to the auditorium now so the program can continue. Thank you."**_

"You heard the announcement, you all better head on there." Caren-san said to us. I was a little disappointed as I was so close to saying it. Maybe I could tell him later after the program. As we exited the clinic I went to his side.

"Hikigaya-kun, can we talk later?"

"What do you want to talk about Miura?"

"I'd rather not talk about it openly here, can we talk just the two of us later?"

"I guess so, after school then?"

I agreed to that as we went back to the auditorium, we were one of the first ones to return so we got better seats near the stage. I sat to the right of Hina and Tobe as Hikigaya-kun sat in the middle of Kawasaki and Totsuka in front of us. As the program resumed Iroha called out to the people who were about to be introduced to us.

As they walked out onto the stage I saw a familiar face, a woman whom I had helped last week. My interest was roused, I wanted to know who she was so I prepared to take down notes. But when I had looked in front of me I could see Hikigaya-kun, his face told me he was a little bit surprised. I wonder why? I gazed at where he was looking, I spotted the lady whom I helped. Did he by chance know her?

"Hey, Hikigaya-kun." I said softly, tapping his shoulder. He still didn't respond so I did it again.

"Hello? Hikigaya-kun?"

"Oh." He finally stirred. "Sorry about that Miura, I was just surprised about something. You need something?"

'Well, you were staring at the lady for some reason, do you know her?"

"Yeah I do, why?"

"I helped her out last week when she came here to deliver something." He looked at me a little surprised then he said.

"Oh so _you_ were the person she was talking about."

"Huh? What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Anyway, do you know her name?" He placed a hand on his chin and thought for a while before he returned his eyes at me.

"If you want to know more about her… then you can simply wait for her to be called. Then you'll get your answer Miura." He said before promptly turning around to face the stage.

I was left confused at his hesitation to answer, also wondering on what kind of job she had. She was wearing a pink kimono with elegant patterns and images in it under her red leather jacket. From what I could tell her attire was of high quality so she must have had quite the money to afford one of those. I grew impatient waiting for her turn to come so I took out my phone and checked my notifications, my interest on the current speaker dying away.

After two hours it was finally her turn to be called onto the stage. When Iroha was about to call her she glanced at the cue card in her hand and her eyes widened in shock. Nervously she looked over to where the lady was seated.

"W-well then... Now it's time to call on our last guest. Please give a warm welcome to one of our alumni, Hikigaya Shiki."

* * *

 **Hachiman's POV**

Before my mother walked up to the center front of stage she approached Isshiki and whispered something to her. The girl's expression was a mix of surprise and fear as she frantically nodded. Before she left the student council president I could see she was glaring at Isshiki for some unknown reason...

She then turned around and went straight to the front of the stage. Mic in hand she looked over the crowd as if trying to find someone, could she had been looking for me?

Her eyes finally met mine and she gave me a warm smile, making a small wave at me before her gaze moved to Miura, who was behind me.

"Before anything else, I would just like to thank someone here for helping me last week." She then started walking over to our area.

"I think she means you." I said to Miura. She was still rather surprised as her look went from me to my mother. As she recovered from the shock she stood up and slightly bowed her head.

"N-no problem Hikigaya-san."

"Don't call me Hikigaya-san, I'd feel old if you do. Just call me Shiki. May I know your name miss?"

"M-Miura Yumiko."

"Thank you Yumiko-chan." My mother bowed back to her before she returned to the stage.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Hikigaya Shiki, former supervisor of Japan Special Defense Forces (JSDF). I worked there for about three years, then I transferred to the intelligence gathering division of the Chiba Police Department (CPD) for two years. Right now I work for a private investigation firm called Garan no Dou, nice to meet you all." After her introduction there was a picture shown of my mother in her uniform back when she was in the JSDF, also a short video of her doing hand-to-hand combat with some of the trainees. It showed her effortlessly beating them as she won eight straight matches with people bigger than her. I could see that most of the students were shocked from what they saw and some of my classmates were eyeing me for some reason. They looked like they were scared...

 _It's not like she'll hunt you down if you did something bad to me in the past you know._

 _Well... maybe there was a small chance of it happening... Like, fifty percent?_

I was then pulled away from my thoughts as Tobe called me.

"Yo Hikigaya-bro, you never told us your mother was in the JSDF! She's awesome!" He exclaimed out loudly.

"Well, it never once came to mind to tell you about that, sorry." I shrugged at them. I noticed Miura looked really surprised as she kept staring at mother for some reason.

She then describe her work while she was in the JSDF and in the CPD, almost all of the students showed interest in her field of work. Miura was the most interested in my opinion as she didn't even bother to blink or look at anything else when my mother was explaining. She must have really wanted to know more about her.

Then came the portion where the students could ask questions to her, after answering several questions someone asked a really interesting one.

"Hikigaya-san, can you show us how you fight? The videos you showed us were awesome, but can you do it here so we can see it live?" Upon hearing that the crowd roared from excitement but there was a bit of a problem.

Who in their right mind would fight her? It was already shown that she had beaten men bigger and stronger than her, so who would want to go up against her? It would be like some kind of suicide mission, then out of nowhere someone blurted out.

"Go, Hayama Hayato!"

The crowd again roared as the blonde prince was mentioned, of course who else would the best candidate be but the perfect boy here in Sobu? Hayama's smile didn't falter but I could tell he didn't want to be involved in this, but since he was already chosen by the crowd refusal would damage his reputation. He stood up and started to walk towards the stage, but before that he stopped in front of me and asked.

"Say Hikigaya-kun, can you give a friend some advice?"

 _When did the two of us became **friends**?_

I couldn't stop myself from thinking that "being popular was a bad thing" so I gave him the best tip I had.

"I can only give you one Hayama."

"And that is?"

"Good luck trying to stay alive out there." Upon hearing that some sweat started to form on his forehead as he swallowed hard.

"He won't last a minute." I told myself, only to feel someone tap my shoulder. I was met face to face with none other than the Fire Queen of Sobu glaring at me.

"You have a problem with Hayato?" She asked, maintaining her fearsome look.

"No, but he doesn't stand a chance against her." I said, ignoring her.

"And why is that?"

"Well, in the last two weeks I've been sparring with her and I'm still not able to land a single blow on her. And if I even did she was just probably giving me a chance to learn. Not to mention she was clearly holding back for my sake." I answered. Miura was shocked to hear how formidable mother was.

"B-but Hayato knows some martial arts! S-so he'll be fine."

' _He'll be fine, huh?'_ Yeah, it may give him sort of edge but I doubt it would make any difference. Mother did tell me she had has mastered multiple styles of martial arts when she was still in high school, and after that she developed her own style. Add that to her speed and quick reflexes and all I can see when I looked over at Hayama was dead man walking.

"If you say so Miura, I do hope he comes out in one piece." She frowned at my response, further worsening her grumpy look. "I'm just speaking from my own experience, no need to get so mad at me you know."

"Okay. How about we make a bet then?"

"What kind of bet?"

"If Hayato wins, you'll listen to one of my requests, no exceptions. And if he loses, I'll listen to one of yours, same rules. So, is it a deal Hikigaya-kun?" I grinned, knowing fully well this was all going on my favor.

"Deal." We shook hands to seal our agreement. Heck, you better stay true to your word woman. We didn't notice that the student council had rolled out rubber mats to cover the stage to buffer the impact in case someone falls on the stage.

"Nice to meet you Hayama-kun." My mother greeted him as they shook hands.

"Likewise Hikigaya-san, please go easy on me."

"I can, but that would be boring right? How about we do the same routine I do with my son but with less time, I'll give you five minutes and all you have to do is last that long. Sounds good to you?"

"I-I'll do my best." He said, scratching his cheek.

After that mother turned around to get to the other side of the stage, looking over to me and giving me a wink. I just laughed like a madman in my head as I imagined what was going to happen in front of all this people. A digital timer was projected at the upper left of the stage as both Hayama and mother got into their stances, Isshiki taking the mic.

"Good luck to the both of you. This match will begin in three, two, one… Start!"

Mom ran quickly to his side to elbow his body but Hayama decided to block it using one of his arms, however he was shocked to find the blow never connected. It was a feint that stopped just an inch away from his body. This gave her an opening as he was stunned by the nature of her feint, quickly ducking and using her arm as a support to turn and kick him off-balance. She did it with such fluid motion that Hayama only realized what had happened when he was staring at the ceiling as he was falling down. Mother wasn't done yet, she quickly stood up and while he was still mid-air she used her palm to strike Hayama on his stomach.

He shut his eyes from the pain as he slightly bounced when he came down, once he was flat on the ground he curled into a ball holding onto his gut coughing. By then mother was standing near his head, her foot raised over his head as it was poised to strike.

All the spectators couldn't believe what was happening as the foot came down to hit his face and all could they do was watch in horror as Hayama was going to get stomped on. When he opened his eyes and saw what was going to happen, he wanted to avoid it but the pain in his stomach couldn't let him move so he closed his eyes and braced himself.

And yet the pain never came, just like before.

Once again he peeked and was surprised to find my mother's foot almost touching his nose while she was smirking at him. She then quickly removed her foot from his face as she helped him up to sit on one of the nearby chairs. The whole auditorium was silent as they couldn't believe what had just happened and when I looked over at the timer only thirty seconds had just elapsed. I looked back to Miura with a smug expression.

"Told you he wouldn't last a minute."

"Okay fine. You win." She pouted, and I couldn't tell whether she was more disappointed on Hayama's loss or on hers in our bet. "So, what do you want from me?"

"I'll tell you later after school." I said, just to keep her in suspense but I really haven't thought about what I wanted from her.

One of the student council members went to the infirmary and called for Caren-san and after a few minutes she arrived to treat Hayama. She then helped him back to his seat but before she went out my mother said.

"Well that was rather disappointing, I had hoped he would at least last a minute. It wasn't even a warm up for me. Does anyone else want to try?"

' _Seriously Mom, no one here can keep up with your crazy speed and reflexes.'_

After seeing what she just did no one wanted to try to have a match with her. She quickly destroyed Hayama Hayato - the blonde prince of Sobu. No other boy wanted to try and test her skills since if he couldn't do it then no one else can.

Several minutes passed and it seemed no one really wanted to do it. She was about to leave the stage when I decided I wanted to test myself and see how I've improved from our two week of training. As I was going up the stage I could see a lot of people were shocked.

I spotted Yuigahama, Yukinoshita, Miura, Hina, Saki and Hiratsuka-Sensei and they were clearly shocked. I could hear some students talking shit about me as they thought I was clearly delusional and that I wouldn't last longer than Hayama. I just ignored them as I stepped on stage. My mother turned around halfway and was quite surprised to see me but I could see from her expression that she was really happy. Then her look changed into one that said "are you sure about this Hachiman?" I nodded silently and showed her my determination as I readied myself and got into my usual stance: it looked like a boxing stance but my palms were slightly open.

She then completely turned around to face me and prepared herself, I looked over to Isshiki so she could give us the signal when to start. As she was about to say something mother rushed in at an attempt to kick me using her right leg, it wasn't a feint and I used both of my hands to block it. After that I decided to hold on to her leg and raised it to my chest level to prevent her from kicking. I smiled at her as I assumed I now had the advantage over her but she quickly proved me wrong as she jumped using her other foot and when both of them were on the same height she used her free foot to try and kick me in the face.

I quickly let go and used one of my arms to block her kick, feeling pain on my arm from the two kicks earlier. With that move she forced me to skid backwards then while she was still in the air she spun two times before landing on her feet, facing away. She suddenly turned around and as expected her barrage of kicks and punches came to me as she swiftly closed the distance between the two of us. I managed to evade some of her attacks but when she decided to add in her feints those caught me off-guard and as a result some of her blows went past my defense.

I needed to conserve my stamina for later so I decided to put more effort in evading but I didn't notice that I was being pushed back and that was a bad sign for me. Once my back hit a wall I had limited space to avoid her blows, she swiftly turned around and was going for a round house kick. I didn't want to block that as I would still take a lot of damage so I quickly went down on my knees to avoid it, it barely grazed my head as it went by over me. While she was just recovering from the attack I attempted to swipe her other foot to put her off-balance. It connected but as she fell down she braced herself for the fall and rolled away, getting up by using both her hands to lift herself off the ground and land on her feet.

She appeared very satisfied from what I did. I was expecting her to come at me with a barrage of attacks again but she walked over to Isshiki and took the mic from her hands.

"Warm-up's over Hachiman. And I don't want to fight you with a handicap, so can you take off all those weights on you?"

After what she said the crowd whispered in disbelief at what was happening in front of them. That was only our warm-up and my mother was just half-serious with me. I glanced at the digital clock at the auditorium and I saw our fight lasted for roughly five minutes, way more than what that Hayama could achieve.

I could see the looks of surprise from all the people who witnessed our match and I just laughed internally as I told myself that they haven't seen anything yet. I started to unlock the weights on my ankles, then the ones on my arms and finally the one around my body. I called for Caren-san to put my weights away, and while I was handing them over to her she accidentally dropped them on stage which made a pretty loud "thud" that echoed throughout the auditorium, making some of the students wonder just how heavy those were. Luckily it didn't hit her feet and because of that I had to help her out carry some of it so she wouldn't drop them again.

I had forgotten that I had those on earlier because I was too focused on our fight. Perhaps that was the reason why some of the blows that hit me didn't hurt so much as they were absorbed by those. As I expected, after our "warm-up" I was already beat up and she was still fine as a fiddle. I readied myself again for her barrage of attacks but it didn't come yet.

"Five minutes." She said to Isshiki. "This time I'll go all out Hachiman, and to Miss Student Council President over there. Once you catch the mic it means the match has begun so here," she then threw the device towards her.

I quickly got back into stance and waited for the mic to be caught by Isshiki, and once it was in her hands mother was half-way to me already. She was going for a straight hook aimed for my head so I side-stepped to avoid it but my mother retracted her hand quickly as she used her shoulder to push me away. While I was hit and trying to regain my footing she punched both of my sides. I felt the sting of her blows as I held on to my sides and fell onto my back but I didn't keep my eyes off her. I was going to roll away from her but she stood above me and was going to stomp down on my head. I quickly moved my arms to stop her foot as it came crashing down, successfully blocking but still taking a lot of damage from her attack. I rolled away from her to put some space between us and for me to catch my breath, I was now really tired from that and I knew she intentionally didn't continue her attack for me to recover.

Now she was circling around me waiting for an opportunity to strike. I decided I won't go down without a fight so instead of turtling like I used to do during our spars I decided to go on the offensive. I ran at her then threw some jabs, hooks and straights but mom just evaded all of my attacks. I also tried using feints but she read my moves easily so all it just did was use up most of my energy trying to hit her and leave me open for her counters. I looked above to check on how much time we had left and I saw it only had a minute and fifty seconds left.

It was a bad idea as I let my guard down in that moment mother tackled me down to the ground. I fell down hard on my back and as I instinctively use my arms to guard my head, she straddled me by my waist. She then continued her barrage of punches on my arms as she tried to break my guard, because of that I could feel my arms grow weaker and my stamina was slowly being chipped away.

When one of her punches managed to break my guard I could feel my arms go numb from that blow. I tried to move them but it was useless, my breathing was ragged and I knew this was the end of our match. She then raised her right fist as it came in for the finishing blow, I closed my eyes and braced myself but it didn't hit me. Instead I could feel something soft and warm touching my forehead.

I opened my eyes to find my mother kissing my forehead. I just sighed in relief that our match was finally over as she got off me then she helped me to sit up.

"Good job Hachiman, even if you didn't land a blow on me when I got serious I'm still very proud of you." She whispered.

"Yeah, now I got beat up for all of the school to see." I said sarcastically to her.

"You sure about that dear?" She then looked over to the crowd they were still silent from our match earlier but then I heard some people clapping. It was only a handful, then it grew in number until the entirety of the audience was applauding us. I had never imagined in my stay here that I would get to experience something like this, the feeling was surreal but it made me very happy.

I could see that Hina and Saki were smiling and Totsuka and Tobe were saying something like how cool I was earlier and Yuigahama, Yukinoshita and Hiratsuka-Sensei still had a look of disbelief on their faces. I looked over to her as she helped me up to my feet.

"You looked very cool earlier when you were trying to hit me dear."

"Yeah, the keyword there is 'trying'." She just giggled at what I said as Caren-san approached us to assess the damage.

"You looked awesome earlier Hachi! Too bad you lost though."

"I already knew what would happen once I stepped on the stage, but even if I lost I'm still very satisfied with myself." She smiled at me as she handed me a bottle of water to drink. I had a few bruises but nothing seriously bad so she just sprayed something on those areas to help me deal with the pain.

I was assisted to get back on my seat in between Totsuka and Saki by her after that my mother went over to us and asked Totsuka if she could sit next to me. Being the angel that he was he agreed and gave his seat to mother. Isshiki then said some closing remarks before formally ending the program. The students were allowed to take some pictures with the participants who were still there, some students came over to where mother was seated and asked her to have a photo taken with them to which she agreed.

As I sat there resting and feeling the pain of the previous bout I remembered Miura and grew curious on what we were going to talk about later so I looked behind me and saw her fiddling with her phone as usual.

"Hey Miura."

"What?"

"I remembered you said you had something important to say to me, right?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather say it where there are less people." Just then I was reminded of our bet and I had an idea.

"I think I know what I'll have you do." I looked over to my mother as most of the students around her had finished their business with her, once all of them were gone she went near us so I asked her.

"Hey mom can we go to that coffee shop later?"

"You mean Ahnenerbe, Hachiman?"

"Yup, that one. Also…" I looked at Miura and pointed at her with my thumb. "Miura will be coming with us, she said that she had something important to discuss with me."

"No problem dear, just let me just get my things and we'll be on our way." She then went over to where Caren-san was.

"You don't mind my mother being there later, right?"

"Yeah, whatever. And..." She trailed off, looking rather hesitant to say something.

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can tell it later."

She nodded, and remained silent until mother finally arrived. The three of us then headed out.

* * *

 **Garan no Dou** means Hollow shrine is a contract-based agency run by Aozaki Touko in Kara no kyoukai. The majority of the jobs involve puppet-making, but they also take on cases with supernatural or abnormal elements and, if Touko was interested,

 **Ahnenerbe (Ancestor's Heritage)** pronounced _Ānen'erube_ is a coffee shop used as a location for the joining of the worlds of Fate series, Tsukihime, and Kara no Kyoukai. It is also the main setting of Carnival Phantasm.

 **AN**

 **Let me just clarify something here if its confusing some people:**

 **The first week of Hachiman's training was when they were helping Caren at the school infirmay, normal spars**

 **The 2nd week is when Shiki added the serious ones and she doubled their normal sparring sessions(Flashback)**

 **Lastly this chapter happened after the 2nd week, next chapter a date with Miura and Shiki in Ahnenerbe.**

* * *

 **Any ways me and thatguywhowrote were just chatting some time last month when we saw that post that Watari was about to announce something I thought it could be season 3 but its more likely to be about the LN so I wasn't expecting something.**

 **But the almighty God has listened to our prayers Oregairu Season three is official! What a time to be alive!**

 **As always thank you to thatguywhowrote for betareading this as always! Also go fight the cleric beast already in bloodborne! I want to know how it goes for you mate!**

 **To those who enjoyed the omake last chapter don't worry before Shiki leaves for her job she will have a chat with one of the two girls so just wait a little bit more for that also most of you already know who I will pair Hachiman with.**

 **See you all on the next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

**-Hachiman's POV-**

"Hachiman dear, would you kindly feed me some of your carbonara?"

I twirled my fork in the pasta then proceeded to feed my mother who sat next to me.

"Mmm, I really love the food here." Mother then got a napkin and cleaned some of the sauce that was on her lips.

"Me too. So Miura, how's your order?" I asked the other girl sitting across the table who was currently staring at us.

"Oh! It's, uhm…" She got some of the apple pie on her fork and ate it. "It's really good, thank you for treating me Shiki-san." Her face showed how much she enjoyed her food.

"No problem Yumiko-chan! So, what were you going to talk about with my son here? May I listen in as well?" After hearing that Miura's expression changed from a happy to a sadder, nervous one. She closed her eyes and thought of what to do in her situation. She then opened her eyes and from expression it she had decided on what she'll do.

"It's fine Shiki-san. I'd like it more if it were me and Hikigaya-kun, but you're his mother so you have the right to hear what I'm about to say."

She told my mother how she had treated me this past years and what had recently happened between us. Mother listened intently to her story and after a couple of minutes Miura finally finished her explanation.

"So what I'm trying to say is I haven't been a very good person to your son, Shiki-san. I'm very sorry Hikigaya-kun, for all the things I've done." She then slightly bowed her head towards me.

"So Hachiman, what will you do?" Mother asked, her eyes closed. I could sense she was a bit tense from how she said that.

"We may have started off with the wrong impression of each other, but now we know one another a lot better I can also see that you're very sincere in your apology to me. So, we're okay Miura." I smiled, showing how happy and contented I was.

"Thank you Hikigaya-kun." Miura smiled back, glad to hear my response.

My mother was a different story. She opened her eyes then looked at Miura, scanning her from head to toe as if looking for something. Then without warning, in the blink of an eye she was on the table with a knife in hand, pointed right at Miura's neck. Her eyes were really scary as she focused her attention on her right now.

"I like your honesty Yumiko-chan… But I don't really appreciate it when people do things like that to my son."

It was a good thing it was just the five of us in here right now. If she did something like this with other people around, it would be really bad.

Katsuragi Chikagi and Hibino Hibiki, the two waitresses, were equally shocked at what was happening. I remained calm despite the situation as I had to diffuse the tension right now so it won't get any worse.

"Mom, she already apologized to me. Calm down, you're overreacting." I pleaded. Her gaze then shifted to me but was now less scary than before. I slowly grabbed her hand with the knife and slowly pulled it away from Miura.

Once I had the blade in my hands Miura was able to breathe as she sank in her seat. Mother then calmed down after some time, covering her face with her hands as she apologized to Miura.

"Sorry for doing that. I get really protective when my children are mistreated like that… I'll leave you two alone for a bit, I'll have to apologize to those two over there for scaring them." She then stood up, bowed and left the two of us alone.

"Sorry about what my mother did earlier Miura. As you can see, she really is scary when she's like that."

"N-No problem Hi-Hi-Hikigaya-kun! I-I think I deserved t-that." She spoke, her teeth still chattering.

"I bet even your parents would do same thing once they heard someone did something bad to their child." Miura simply nodded to what I said, but after that we weren't able to chat normally because of what had happened earlier. A silent moment had passed, I decided to break the ice.

"So can you tell me, how did you two meet?" I pointed at my mother who was having a chat with the two waitresses from far away.

"Well, it wasn't long ago when she visited Sobu, she seemed lost so I approached her and asked her what was going on. She told me she was lost and had to deliver something to the infirmary so I helped her out."

"I see, thank you for helping her back then."

"It's no big deal. Your mom really cares for you if she gets angry like that."

"Yeah… As you see, she is really overprotective of me and Komachi, especially me since what happened back then..." I then remembered the things that happened after I had confessed to Orimoto back in middle school.

"If you don't mind… maybe share me the deets?"

"I'm sorry, maybe another time. I don't want to talk about things like that when we're eating, I might lose my appetite. That's enough drama for one day."

"…I can tell you had a rough past. I don't know what exactly happened so I can't say I understand how you feel, but I can at least see what effect it had on you."

"It's okay, I don't let it bother me so much anymore. It's all in the past… " Miura looked like she had something to say but opted not to, then suddenly Hibiki-chan put a plate of cookies on our table.

"It was ordered by your Mother Hikigaya-kun." She then faced Miura.

"Yumiko-san?"

"Yes what is it?"

"Hikigaya-san says she wants to talk to you in private for a while."

Miura looked at me as I took a bite from one of the cookies.

"Don't worry, she just probably wants to apologize to you." She was hesitant at first but in the end stood up before she followed Hibiki-chan to where mother was.

"See you later then, Hikigaya-kun."

As I enjoyed the batch of cookies my mother ordered for me, my mind drifted into deep thought.

Never did I imagine that I would be friends with Miura Yumiko. We were complete polar opposites so it never crossed my mind to get along with her. In the past, whenever we did talk it was due to either of us looking for Yuigahama's whereabouts, or she was making a request at the club I was formerly a member of.

Honestly I don't know if we would be good friends because of our contrasting attitudes and views… But if I did manage to befriend Tobe of all people, might as well give Miura a chance since I had nothing to lose.

I looked over to where my mother and Miura were seated, I sighed in relief seeing both of them were peacefully talking to each other with smiles on their faces. As I was just about to get my next cookie I heard a voice I didn't want to hear.

"Ara-ara, Hikigaya-kun! Fancy meeting you here."

I looked to where the voice came from and I saw her behind the chair I was seated.

"Yukinoshita Haruno…"

She was wearing a white tank top that fitted her perfectly and her jeans looked pretty fancy based on its brand. She also wore some fancy looking high-heels that matched her clothes well. I ignored her by closing my eyes and instead kept on eating what my mother ordered for me.

"Ignoring me eh, Hikigaya-kun? You know I won't just disappear if you shut your eyes, right?"

Ugh… As I expected, she sat in front of me wearing her fake smile. I was already physically tired from my spar earlier, and now I met this being who brought chaos wherever she went?

"I know, but it won't hurt to try." I then took the last cookie and ate it before looking at the witch in front of me.

"So what do you want, Yukinoshita-san?"

"I just want to talk."

"We've talked now so please leave." I dismissed her quite politely, instead she burst into more fake laughter.

"Mou, Hikigaya-kun! I didn't know you had a great sense of humor! Hahaha…"

"Funny? I was being serious, you know? I'm just waiting for some people."

"You know, you were pretty interesting back then when you were still in the Service Club but now… You've gotten slightly boring." Her tone changed from the cheery personality to a cold serious one along with her expression.

"That's my secret, I always was. Besides what's wrong with being boring? It's great, you know. People barely notice me so I can do all the things I want. I'm perfectly fine with it especially if someone like you would never notice me again." I was about to continue what I was saying when I heard a voice call my name.

"Hmm Hikigaya-kun! You never mentioned you were going to have another guest?" I looked to my left and I saw that Hibiki-chan was beside me looking at Haruno.

"She isn't my guest Hibiki-chan, she's just someone I know… regrettably."

"Nee, nee! What are you saying? Is that the way you talk to your girlfriend, Hi-ki-ga-ya-kyuuun~?"

"G-g-g-girlfriend!?" Hibiki was flabbergasted. Before I could clear things up she had already retreated to the kitchen.

"Girlfriend? Ha, when did I ever have one of those? Also, _you_ being _my_ girlfriend? This is the first time I've ever heard of it."

"You could've just gone along with what I said, right?"

"No thanks. If I ever even had a girlfriend, I'm one hundred percent sure it won't be someone like you."

"Someone like me? You mean rich, beautiful and with a great personality?" She then winked at me.

"Not a chance. I want her to be genuine."

Haruno appeared to be surprised by what I said. Catching her off-guard, I continued.

"Don't get me wrong; being rich, having a figure-eight body and a great personality are all good qualities in a woman. But it all means nothing if she were fake. I want to fall in love with someone who shows me all of their sides, a person who can accept me for being myself. You, Yukinoshita Haruno, are _not_ genuine. Not one bit. You use your facade to manipulate people for your desired outcome and I don't want to get involved with someone like that."

"You have me all figured out, huh?" She smiled but was far from happy. It then vanished as her expression changed to a more serious one. It seemed I might have just awoken a monster— a beautiful monster. I didn't notice but she was now creepily giggling while maintaining her gaze on me.

"Do you really want to see it that badly?" She asked, her hands hiding most of her face.

"See what?" I asked her, but somehow I had I gist what she meant.

She then stood up licked her lips as she inched towards to where I was seated. Her eyes became lifeless while she continued to stare at me while she approached me. When she got next to me she slowly put her hand beneath my chin, my heart beating faster than ever.

"Then I'll show you who I really am… or better yet, I'll show you my soul."

Our faces were almost touching now. Normally if I were this close to any beautiful woman I would have given in to my hormones, but in this situation all the warning signs in my brain were lighting up.

* * *

 **-Yumiko's POV-**

"So with that, you now know why I'm really protective of him…" Shiki-san then put down the tea that she was drinking.

I just stared at Shiki-san for a moment, taking in all the information she told me. Now I knew why Hikigaya-kun had issues with trusting and talking to people. To be honest, I admired him a little now…

B-but just a little, okay?!

I-I mean, if something like that were to happen to me in the past, I'm not sure what I'd do.

"Thank you for telling me about it Shiki-san… I really regret being a bi— I mean, a bad person to him now."

"You have a strong personality Yumiko-chan, so it's not entirely your fault. And you've already apologized to him so there's no need to do it twice."

I knew I couldn't relate to his experience as I was never bullied in the past because of my personality. But I wanted to make it up to him now as being a true friend this time. I was about to ask Shiki-san something when she stood up.

"Let's go back to where Hachiman is Yumiko-chan, I think we've talked here for quite a while now." I nodded and followed her to where we were seating before.

As we were approaching the area I noticed that some girl was seated next to Hikigaya-kun. I couldn't tell who she was, but she looked oddly familiar.

Wait! I remember her now!

I believe I saw her during an event at Sobu High last year... What was she doing to Hikigaya-kun? Normally I would think they were sharing a sweet and intimate moment as both their faces were so close to each other, but I could tell from the expression on his face that he wasn't comfortable with how close she was being to him.

I looked at his mother beside me and I could see she was also confused, however it quickly went from confusion to concern in an instant as she quickly went to her son's side.

"Get away from him!" She yelled at the other woman as she separated the two.

"Hachiman, are you okay? Did she do anything to you?" Worry was evident in her tone. I could see that Hikigaya-kun sighed in relief as he answered his mother.

"Yeah, I'm okay Mom. Thanks for that." He then smiled warmly at her.

"How boring~ And just when things were about to get interesting, someone gets in my way." Upon hearing that Shiki-san glared at the girl.

"Leave. You aren't welcome here and whatever you were planning to do to Hachiman, don't you dare do it ever. Or else." She then stood in front of the woman who was near him earlier. They both glared at each other for as I approached Hikigaya-kun and asked him.

"Say, are you sure you shouldn't be stopping your mother from making a scene again?"

"Normally I would agree with you Miura, but for some reason I can sense that Mother is calm despite her angry appearance. Let's observe them for now, but if I sense that she'll do something like what she did earlier then can I ask you to help Yukinoshita-san get to the hospital?" He requested, a sadistic smirk on his face.

Yukinoshita? Now I remember her, she was Yukinoshita Yukino's elder sister! I think her name was Haruno?

"You're not serious with what you said earlier… right?" I asked him, rather nervous because of the two women in front of us.

"Well… if worse comes to worst Yukinoshita-san would be sent directly to the morgue." I hit him on the head for saying that.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For saying something stupid like that! Aren't you worried for your mother if she does something bad to her?" He then looked at the two.

"I'm more worried for Yukinoshita-san because based on my personal experience, whenever mother is mad she is scary as hell. But do you know what's scarier than that?"

"Not sure but… what would that be?"

"When she's mad and calm at the same time. Usually when she's just mad I can tell what she'll do, but when she's calm like this… let's just say I don't want that to be focused solely on me." He then tugged her dress and whispered to her.

"Mom, don't do something like what you did earlier. You don't know who and what you're dealing with, and what she can do."

"Don't worry about me Hachiman, I know what I'm doing and who exactly I'm dealing with. Yukinoshita Haruno, eldest daughter of Yukinoshita Kikuko. You graduated with the highest honors at Sobu High and are currently taking Business Management at Sobu University. You hold the number one spot because of your grades this semester." Shiki-san replied without looking at her son.

"Wow, I'm quite impressed with how much you know about me. But pray tell; who _are_ you?"

Hikigaya-kun was about to answer when Shiki-san put a finger on his lips to stop him from talking. She then scanned Yukinoshita-san from head to toe before answering her.

"I have no reason to tell you who I am. You are just like your mother." Upon hearing that her glare became more hostile as she took one step closer to Shiki-san.

"I'm _nothing_ like my mother. All I got from her was my name and my appearance."

Shiki-san didn't flinch from how intense she was being stared down at. Suddenly her frown slowly changed into a smirk.

"From what Hachiman told me, you pretty much are. Just like your mother, you hide behind a façade when you're in public, you manipulate people into doing what you want and you use your money and influence when things don't go according to what you've planned."

Yukinoshita-san's ears were fuming from what she heard. It looked like she was about to explode from anger.

"It's getting late so I'll take my leave. See you later Hachiman, let's continue this next time we meet, and I do hope there aren't any _distractions_ until then." She got her purse from the side and walked away. Shiki-san turn around to face us when I could see from behind her that Yukinoshita-san had quickly turned around and was about to hit her with her hand.

If that hand connected to her then these two would surely make a scene. I closed my eyes and waited for the sound of the hit, but I didn't hear anything like that. When I opened my eyes I was surprised to find Yukinoshita-san stunned because without looking, Shiki-san had caught her hand.

She turned around to face Yukinoshita-san as she pulled her closer to her using her caught limb.

"You truly are a Yukinoshita, just like what your mother did in the past. You attacked first, so now it's my turn." She used the back of her palm to hit Yukinoshita-san on the face. When she was about to retaliate on what Shiki-san did she was quickly held up by her neck before being slammed against the wall. When Shiki-san released her from her grip she slid to the floor, coughing and struggling to get on her feet.

"Leave, or I'll do something worse than that. I'm not afraid of you or your family."

Upon hearing this Yukinoshita-san quickly stood up to leave but before she could get past the door she glared at her one last time. Shiki-san just ignored it as her top priority was to check if anything happened to Hikigaya-kun. While she was carefully inspecting her son, I went to fetch our stuff from our table.

"Mom, for the third time I'm okay! She wasn't able to do anything bad to me." He complained as I returned to them.

"I'm just making sure… Oh dear, would you look at the time!" She glanced at her watch and saw it was already 8:45pm. "Hachiman dear, why don't you escort Yumiko-chan to her house? I have to get home right away and prepare." She then got some money from her bag as she paid for our food.

"Okay, Mom."

"I'll see you later dear. And Yumiko-chan, again I'm sorry for what I did earlier." She then kissed Hikigaya-kun on his cheek, causing him to blush as she quickly left the two of us.

I couldn't believe that woman earlier who was giving a death glare to Yukinoshita Haruno was now so calm and even showed a caring and loving side to her son.

' _She sure is amazing in her own way, I wonder what kind of person her husband is…'_

"Lead the way Miura, I'll accompany you home just as Mom said." I nodded and so we began on our way.

It was a quiet walk as neither of us spoke, which made it really weird since I was used to talking with the people I was always hanging out with whenever they were around.

Well, that and Yui-chan wasn't exactly the silent type…

"Nee Hikigaya-kun, your mother sure is amazing, huh?"

"Yeah, I already know that. But it's always been like that, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"All mothers are amazing in their own way. Like they always look out for us, they almost never get tired of doing something for their family and they never stop believing and loving us. Like a quote once said, 'there is no love greater in this world than a mother's love.'"

I smiled at what he said, reminiscing all the good times I had in the past with my own mother.

"Yeah, you're right. All moms are amazing."

While we were walking towards the direction of my house and just about to cross a street I noticed something, some students were staring at Hikigaya-kun for some reason. As usual I knew he looked kind of sketchy and it was already dark, but not to the extent that he attracted that kind of attention.

I noticed there was this particular girl, a brunette who who wore the uniform of Kaihin Sougou High. She was staring at him, and when she seemed to realize something she quickly hid behind one of her classmates.

Was she avoiding him? I wasn't sure, as I was just about to say something to him the red light had turned green so we left the group of students there. He didn't seem to notice the stares he was getting, or maybe he just wasn't paying attention to them because after the cultural festival he became most hated person in school. He was getting glares left and right, and those rumors that circulated all served to worsen his image.

But he didn't give a single shred of care at all on what people thought of him. He ignored all of those things as if they were nothing.

Ten minutes later we arrived at my house, we then said our goodbyes so he could quickly head off to his place. I went straight to my room to change into my more comfortable clothes before browsing some of the recent trending videos.

I found one that was just uploaded today and it was titled "The Rise of a New Prince." I wondered what it was about and checked the tags of the video, it had "Sobu High" as one of them. Curious, I clicked on the link to watch the video, to my surprise it already had half a million views despite being uploaded three hours ago. As my phone was still loading it my mother called me for dinner downstairs, so I just clicked download button to watch it later.

"I wonder what that video's about… I hope it's something interesting at least."

* * *

 **-Shiki's POV-**

"Shiki? Hey!"

I ignored my husband's first call as I released my pent-up stress on the sand bag.

"Oi, Shiki!"

"Not now, Kokutou." I stopped for a moment to rest then continued with what I was doing. My husband sighed as I assaulted my target.

"What happened that got you into that kind of mood?"

"I'll tell you later, for now please leave me alone." Hearing me speak like that he understood and turned around.

"Okay, but take it easy with that sand bag… It won't last long if you go at it like that." I looked at my practice dummy, despite it being in our training room for only three months it really looked like it was about to give if I didn't stop.

"You should cool your head off before everyone arrives, I don't want you to be in a sour mood later. I left you some tea, drink it later. It will help you relax." He then left me alone in the room.

"I was blessed to have such an understanding husband" was the first thing that came to my mind. I thought of making his favorite dish tomorrow to reward him.

I stopped because I don't want him to get angry at me for destroying the sand bag so I walked next to the area where he left the tea. I opened the small thermos and drank the lemon iced tea until half of it was gone, then I sat down and went back on what happened earlier.

I lost my cool and did something horrible to Hachiman's friend who had already said her sorry to him sincerely. I may have apologized to Yumiko-chan but I still felt bad about it.

' _Maybe I could try baking some cookies later. If I can't bake them later I'll just wake up really early tomorrow, I'll give them before he goes to school and tell him to hand those over to her as an apology.'_

"Yeah, I could do that. I hope Yumiko-chan likes cookies."

I then recalled what that harlot Haruno was doing to my son. From the distance, it looked like they were going to kiss but Hachiman's stiff and terrified expression told me otherwise. Thank Lord I reacted quickly enough to separate them, who knew what that woman had planned to do to him.

I heard from him some time ago that that woman liked to mess around with him when they meet, but from what I saw earlier she was really interested for some reason with him.

Yes she liked him, but why? Was she romantically interested in him or was she just toying with him on a whim? It would be better if I told Hachiman to be extremely careful around her, or better yet avoid her entirely. Only bad things would happen if you're around people like that.

As I stared at the ceiling I decided to take a shower to freshen myself up and take my mind off things. I exited our training room and went to our room to get myself a bath towel. As I entered I saw my husband was there, I opened one of the drawers to get one and before I went out I hugged behind him and kissed him on the cheek.

"I take it you're calm now?"

"Yeah, thanks for being a great husband. Also, I like the tea you gave me earlier."

"No problem. When you arrived and I saw you had that look, I knew something bad happened to get you in such a foul mood. So I quickly made that to help you relax. Mind telling me now what happened?"

"I'll tell you later after I shower."

"Good idea. You reek of sweat." He pinched his nose after giving me a sniff.

"Yeah, I love you too Kokutou."

I headed straight to the bathroom, locking the door as I undressed. I got into our shower and turned the faucet to have a warm one. As I was enjoying my time I heard the voice of my daughter Komachi downstairs and after about ten minutes later I heard her greet her brother. I would like to enjoy my shower a little longer but I still had to prepare for dinner later and we had two main issues that we will be discussing later.

"I hope everything goes well later when we make an announcement, I hope the kids will understand." I told to myself, turning the faucet off and proceeding to dry myself.

I returned to our room and discussed with my husband what had happened with me, Yumiko-chan and Hachiman earlier. As expected, he got upset with me on what I did to her but he also said it was justified as a mother. Then once he heard the name Yukinoshita his expression changed, I gave him a summary of what had happened between me and Kikuko's eldest daughter. After hearing my short explanation, he put his hands on his forehead and felt the remains of the scar on his left eye.

"Will the past repeat itself again Shiki?" He grunted.

"I hope not Kokutou… I really hope not. Because this time, even you won't be able to stop me if something bad happens to you, Hachiman or Komachi."

"Anyway, enough about that… Want me to help you set up the table?" He asked, wanting to change the topic. I nodded at his suggestion and we both headed down to the kitchen.

It took us about fifteen minutes to get the table ready as I ordered a lot for the celebration of our occasion. Once we were done I told Komachi and Hachiman to wear something nice as we were expecting some guests for dinner, I also told them to wait for my cue before they came down. Both didn't ask any questions as they obediently went upstairs to change. I then waited for our guests to arrive, which was about ten minutes later when the doorbell rang. I rushed to open the door and greeted them.

"Good evening to the two of you, thank you for coming."

"Good evening as well, Shiki-san."

"So tonight's the night, yes?"

"Yes, I'll announce it later."

"Do Hachiman and Komachi-chan know we're here already?"

"No they don't, they are upstairs in their room. Please, come in. I'll escort you to the guest room upstairs, we should be quiet as I want to surprise them later."

They both followed me inside, but before we went to the second floor they first greeted my husband. After that he served them some drinks as they waited upstairs for my signal to come down later.

With them now inside the guest room, my husband and I double-checked everything. Once everything was in place we sat down at the table before calling our children.

"Hachiman, Komachi, you can come down now."

Komachi was the first to appear. It was amazing to see how much our daughter had matured, as if time flew by in a blink of an eye as she was growing up.

"Wow! That's a lot of food! What's the occasion, Mom?" Komachi asked, eyes wide and shining as she surveyed all that was laid out before us.

"We'll tell you later dear, just wait for your brother to get down and take your seat already." After saying that I saw Hachiman walking towards the table, sitting next to his sister. He looked very dapper in his suit, his hair neatly combed back.

"What's with all this food? We celebrating something?"

I looked at my husband, he smiled and nodded at me before he made the big reveal as to what was going on to our children.

"We are celebrating because your mother and I were promoted two weeks ago."

"Whoa, congratulations to you, Mom and Dad!" My daughter gleefully shouted as Hachiman smiled and clapped his hands for the both of us.

"So can we eat now?" Hachiman asked impatiently, I giggled.

"Not yet. We have some more news to tell you." Upon hearing what I said my son got curious and it seemed his hunger for food vanished.

"Don't tell me you're… pregnant?" He asked, both Kokutou and I laughed.

"No dear, that's not it. Along with the promotion, your father and I have to go to another country to help out our sister company there, we'll be staying abroad for at least two years. But every four months, one of us can come back here for about a week's worth of stay."

After what my husband said Komachi and Hachiman faces changed from festive to a more contemplative one as they stared at the both of us.

"I hope the two of you understand the gravity of this matter and that we are doing this for you. We both love you very much, so I hope you're not opposed to us going there."

I closed my eyes and waited for their reactions, afraid they'll hate us for not telling them such an important decision earlier. I remembered the times we weren't there for them, not being able to come to some of Komachi's birthdays because we were so busy with work and not being able to be there when Hachiman was bullied…

I deeply regretted not being a good parent that was there at their times of need. I admitted that we are not the best parents out there, but we tried our best to give them what they needed the most.

As I recalled those memories I clenched my fists as tight as I could, still waiting for the bad things my children will say to us. I felt my husband's hand hold mine as he whispered to me.

"Open your eyes Shiki, and look at them."

I opened my eyes to see both Komachi and Hachiman were smiling and seemed very excited.

"You hear that, Oniichan? Mom and Dad are going to help out another company abroad! How cool is that?!"

"No need to tell me twice Komachi, I heard them earlier. Indeed, it is very "cool", but that much is to be expected from them. They are really good in investigating things."

My heart almost burst from joy knowing they accepted it without a fuss, but as a mother I still had to make sure that there were zero issues.

"You are not mad at us for accepting it?"

"Why would we be mad Mom? It just shows how good you are to think they will need your help there."

My irrational fear of them hating us had now vanished and was replaced with joy. I was so happy that I got up from my seat and went to give the two of them a hug.

"The both of us are old enough already to understand your choices so we aren't against it, Onii-chan and Komachi will be a little bit lonely when you leave though."

"See? I told you, you were worrying for nothing Shiki. Our children are mature enough."

"Yeah, it seems you were right Kokutou. I'm so lucky to have the both of you as my children." As I separated from them I kissed both of their foreheads and headed back to where I was seated before.

"So… can we finally eat now?" My daughter asked, eager to dig in all the food.

"Not yet dear, there is one more issue to discuss."

"As you know, we are leaving the two of you for the next two years. I and your worrywart of a mother wanted someone to be your guardians while we are over there." I pinched his sides and glared at my husband for his side comment, making Komachi and Hachiman laugh.

"Oh! Will it be Aunt Azaka? I hope it's her!"

"No dear, she is really busy with her job in Mifune City right now." I replied.

"I asked her last week if she was available but she refused because of her job. It looked like she really wanted to be the one though." My husband added, remembering the call he made when he asked his sister.

"So who is it?"

"Do you want to meet them now?"

They looked at each other before nodding in unison. I took my phone out and texted our two guests upstairs.

"Both of you, can you close your eyes for a bit?" They did what I asked as we waited for them to come down to the dining area. When they were behind my children one of them sat between them.

"I hope Komachi-chan and Hachi would treat me and Mom well for the next two years."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Here it is! Banzai!**

 **Sorry but my brain didn't function well despite the 2 month vacation, I lazed around too much, played on the ps4 and lastly good anime were pouring out this year there were to many distractions!**

 **Hopefully my next chapter won't take that long to make and I'll try to update my other two stories okay.**

 **Hope you like this chapter**

 **As always thanks to thatguywhowrote for beta-reading this**

 **See you on the next one!**


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